💬 The Wrap
Belated 🦃 Thanksgiving and 🕎 Hanukkah well-wishes to all those that celebrate them from us here at the Emoji Wrap!
After over 5 years of presenting their emojis with a notably thick outline, Microsoft has this month completely overhauled their emoji set via a presently optional update for Windows 11. 🆕🪟🎨
Dubbed the Fluent emoji set, as part of the platform's Fluent design initiative, this design overhaul was originally previewed during this year's World Emoji Day celebrations, albeit with a more glossy, 3D, animated apperance.
Our Windows 11 November 2021 Emoji Changelog provides an overview of the new emojis in this Microsoft update, highlighting many of the most interesting design changes within the new Fluent style, and discusses when and where we expect to see the 3D animated incarnation of the set.
Meanwhile, Google have finalized the designs for their Emoji 14.0 support. This means that emojis like Dotted Line Face, Biting Lip, and the already-beloved Melting Face are expected to begin rollout out across Google platforms and devices in the very near future. 🔜🤖
As for Apple's Emoji 14.0 support, we expect to see these new additions in early 2022, with March or April being the most likely timeframe. 🍏🐣
Additionally, Unicode is accepted feedback on the provisional candidate list for next year's Emoji 15.0, Samsung has released its Emoji 13.1 support, and Google Messages will start converting Apple iMessage reactions into emoji.
✨ New Emojis
🤖 Google Emoji 14.0 Changelog
As we here at Emojipedia had previously anticipated, Google has become the first emoji vendor to finalize their designs for September 2021's Emoji 14.0 recommendations.
Emojis such as Melting Face, Saluting Face, and Heart Hands are expected to come with the release of Android 12L - the "L" stands for "large", as in large screen - and an equivalent Android 12 update for smaller-screened devices.
🆕 Unicode Emoji 15.0 Provisional Candidates
Last month we reported that Unicode's Emoji Subcommittee had completed its list of provisional candidates for next year's Emoji 15.0. The list includes a Shaking Face, Goose, Khanda, and the long-requested Pink Heart.
Now, as part of the emoji creation process, the provisional candidate list is available for public review and feedback. This Unicode blog post details how to provide formal feedback and discussion. 📋🤔
📰 News
🪟 Windows 11 November 2021 Emoji Changelog
As discussed above, last week the much-anticipated Microsoft emoji overhaul was introduced via a Windows 11 update.
Every single emoji has been given a new 2D, block-colored Fluent design, with the update also introducing late 2020 emoji recommendations like 😮💨 Face Exhaling, ❤️🩹 Mending Heart, and ❤️🔥 Heart on Fire to Windows for the first time.
🧔 Samsung One UI 4.0 Emoji Changelog
Earlier this month Samsung began rollout our their One UI 4.0 update in select countries, with additional devices and regions expected to get access to the update over the next few months.
The update introduces late 2020's Emoji 13.1 to Samsung devices, meaning Samsung users can finally view the likes of 😵💫 Face with Spiral Eyes, 😶🌫️ Face in Clouds, and ❤️🔥 Heart on Fire with a single emoji design.
📱 Google Messages will show iMessage reactions as emoji
Apple's iMessage platform has long had the ability to react to messages, but this feature is not included within Android messaging platforms.
A fallback mechanism in mixed-platform group messages to represent these reactions on non-Apple platforms was to receive automated messages such as Liked an image or Emphasized “We’re on our way” - a type of narration that feels somewhat unnatural in text conversations.
However, a recent Google Messages update has shelved these narrated messages in favor of displaying emojis such as 👍 Thumbs Up and 😍 Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes to represent the reactions of Apple users.
✨ WhatsApp now lets you create your own stickers
WhatsApp is beta testing its own in-app sticker-making feature, allowing users to convert their own images into easily-sendable stickers.
The feature also allows users to edit the image with additional visual flourishes, such as adding different emoji designs. WhatsApp's own promotional image for the feature is an image of dog wearing a tux adorned with a 🎩 Top Hat emoji and two ✨ Sparkles.
💭 Interesting
🧑💻 Yes, emojis are appropriate for work
A recent survey of U.S. employees shows that more and more people are finding emojis appropriate in their workplace communications, with 75% of respondents stating that using emojis has improved their communication in the workplace.
There is nuance, however, which is why Emojipedia can come in handy if you're looking to avoid a workplace emoji faux pas! 😱😳
🕵️ We're Pretty Good at Decoding an Emoji, Even When It's Not a Perfect Match For a Word
As we've noted in previous editions of the Emoji Wrap, emojis are a growing area of interest in academic research.
This article summarizes the findings of a recent study which found that "sentence comprehension does not suffer when emojis replace words", like if you replace "car" with the 🚗 Automobile emoji. The study also found "emojis can activate an entire lexical entry, including phonological information" within our 🧠 Brains, such as if we use 🐁 Mouse to mean 🖱️ Computer Mouse.
🧑⚖️ NAD Finds That Emojis Can Be Claims
Another fascinating entry into the annals of emoji legal cases: an advertising oversight body has put forward the arguement that "emojis and other images in videos can convey expressly false claims" about a company's competitors in their advertising.
Specifically here, the use of 🤢 Nauseated Face and 😂 Face with Tears of Joy were argued to be making a disparaging claim about Gatorade. The piece concludes that cases like this "will certainly be followed by many others raising similar issues."
🤗 Lastly
Thanks, as always, for being a subscriber to the Emoji Wrap - Emojipedia's free monthly summary of what's happening in the world of emoji 🆓📅💌
If you'd like to keep up-to-date with the latest emoji news as it happens, you can follow Emojipedia on Twitter, as well as the members of our Emojipedia team:
- 🚢 Our Chief Emoji Officer Jeremy Burge
- 📚 Our Senior Emoji Lexicographer Jane Solomon
- 🙋♂️ And me, our Deputy Emoji Officer Keith Broni