diff --git a/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx b/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx
index 4a6df04032..d075f6844e 100644
--- a/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/CompositionInput.tsx
@@ -20,12 +20,7 @@ import classNames from 'classnames';
 import emojiRegex from 'emoji-regex';
 import { Emoji } from './emoji/Emoji';
 import { EmojiPickDataType } from './emoji/EmojiPicker';
-import {
-  convertShortName,
-  EmojiData,
-  replaceColons,
-  search,
-} from './emoji/lib';
+import { convertShortName, EmojiData, search } from './emoji/lib';
 import { LocalizerType } from '../types/Util';
 import { createRefMerger } from './_util';
 
@@ -395,9 +390,10 @@ export const CompositionInput = ({
 
   const submit = React.useCallback(() => {
     const { current: state } = editorStateRef;
-    const text = state.getCurrentContent().getPlainText();
-    const emojidText = replaceColons(text);
-    const trimmedText = emojidText.trim();
+    const trimmedText = state
+      .getCurrentContent()
+      .getPlainText()
+      .trim();
     onSubmit(trimmedText);
   }, [editorStateRef, onSubmit]);
 
diff --git a/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts b/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts
index 47b7f0b061..49704d8054 100644
--- a/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts
+++ b/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts
@@ -274,22 +274,6 @@ export function emojiToImage(emoji: string): string | undefined {
   return imageByEmoji[emoji];
 }
 
-export function replaceColons(str: string) {
-  return str.replace(/:[a-z0-9-_+]+:(?::skin-tone-[1-5]:)?/gi, m => {
-    const [shortName = '', skinTone = '0'] = m
-      .replace('skin-tone-', '')
-      .toLowerCase()
-      .split(':')
-      .filter(Boolean);
-
-    if (shortName && isShortName(shortName)) {
-      return convertShortName(shortName, parseInt(skinTone, 10));
-    }
-
-    return m;
-  });
-}
-
 function getCountOfAllMatches(str: string, regex: RegExp) {
   let match = regex.exec(str);
   let count = 0;