Microsoft is Giving People the Finger. Literally. Don't take it personally.
By Arjun Kharpal •
This story originally appeared on CNBC
Microsoft is flipping the bird at its users.
The U.S. tech giant will include support for a middle finger emoji on the Windows 10 operating system for mobile and desktop computers when it is released later this year, according to emoji website Emojipedia.
This means Microsoft could beat both Google's Android and Apple's iOS to become the first to include the rude gesture in its range of emoji—symbols used in electronic messages. And to ensure diversity when giving someone the finger, Microsoft's emoji comes in different skin tones.
The middle finger symbol has actually been available since last year, following a Unicode update. Unicode makes sure text appears the same across different operating systems and platforms and is behind the language of emoji.
But it is up to companies such as Apple or Google to update their own software to include new emoji so they can be used and viewed. For example, if someone sends you a message with an emoji from an iPhone, you may not be able to view it on a Windows device if that particularly symbol is not supported.
In the latest updates of iOS and Android earlier this year, Apple and Google added a number of new emoji but the middle finger did not feature.
Microsoft is also making several other changes to its emoji in the first update of the symbols since Windows 8.1 was released in October 2013.
As a result, soon Windows users will be able to insult each other without having to use the dubious smiling turd emoji.
