Windows 10 gets feature to search for animated gifs

A new trial version of Windows 10 includes an updated emoji picker with search for emoji and animated GIFs. Microsoft is also updating the dictation option with Voice Typing.

The emoji picker of Windows 10, which can be called up with the key combination Win + [.], will get a semi-transparent background, emoji search and support for animated gifs in a future update. Judging from the screenshot, Microsoft is using Tenor, the gifs search platform that Google acquired in 2018. Microsoft is also making the clipboard part of the emoji chooser, although it will also continue to be available separately via Win + V. Some users will also see the refresh as part of the virtual keyboard, Microsoft said.

The changes are in build version 20206 of Windows 10, which Insiders who run the OS in the Dev Channel can already download. They can then also enable Voice Typing via the virtual keyboard for text input via speech. In fact, this is the existing dictation feature with modified design, optimized for touchscreens and with automatic punctuation. Microsoft claims that improvements have also been made to the back-end, but the company does not provide details about this. It is not known in which public update the changes will eventually appear.