At times, you could be receiving messages with emojis that appear to be a combination of two emojis, like a football with a smile or a cowboy pouting or a monkey with the heart symbol all over its face. In case you are using an Android phone, you can do this too. It’s not a new feature but something many don’t know about.

To mash two emojis, you need to install Gboard or Google’s keyboard on your phone, which many people around the world use it and it comes bundled with Pixel phones. In case your phone doesn’t have it, download it from Google Play Store and make it the default option. The great thing about Gboard is the level of customisation.

So why mash two emojis? Well, you can use a few of them to express yourself but some emotions are best expressed in a single emoji. This is where combination helps.

To get it working, open a messaging app and start composing a message. Next to the spacebar is the emoji button. Choose an emoji and automatically you will be given a few options. If you want to be specific, choose two emojis and see the variations that are possible. But keep in mind that not all emojis have the flexibility to be expanded.

The emoji mash-up game can be played across messaging apps.