Microsoft is introducing a new feature in Microsoft Teams that allows users to choose a skin tone for emojis and reactions. The selected skin tone will be applied everywhere within Teams, including meetings, chats, and channels. As you can see in the screenshot below, users can choose from six different skin tones. This setting will be applied across various Teams clients on Windows, Mac, web, Android, and iOS for a seamless experience.
This new ability for users to customize the skin tone in emojis and reactions will enable them to better represent their physical appearance and express themselves more authentically in virtual meetings and conversations.
Here"s how you can access the new skin tone settings:
- Go to Settings and more (...) > Settings > Appearance and accessibility. Then, select the skin tone option under the new "Choose a skin tone" section.
- You can also set skin tone directly in the emoji and reaction menus. To do this, hover over a message in a chat or select the Emoji, GIFs, and Stickers button in the message box. Then, select the Customize button next to the search box and choose your preferred skin tone.
Microsoft also allows users to change the skin tone for a single emoji or reaction without changing the default. Users can simply right-click an emoji or reaction on Windows, Mac, and the web or long-press an emoji or reaction on Android and iOS.
This new skin tone settings feature is now available for all Teams Public Preview or Microsoft 365 Targeted release users who are running the new Teams client for Windows, macOS, web, Android, and iOS. IT admins can enable the Teams client for Public Preview using the Show preview features option in their Teams update policy.
By offering greater control over emoji appearance, Teams users can communicate more authentically and feel better represented in their Teams interactions.