๐ฌ The Wrap
Last week two of Meta's major social platforms - Facebook and WhatsApp - updated their native emoji sets to include 2021's Emoji 14.0 recommedations ๐๐ข
This means that Facebook's emoji set (shown above) and the WhatsApp emoji set that are used on non-Apple devices now include emojis such as ๐ซ Melting Face, ๐ฅน Face Holding Back Tears, and ๐ซถ Heart Hands in the same style as these platforms' other native emojis.
Following a similar update in Apple's iOS 15.4 last month, this Facebook update resolves a years-old instance of emoji design fragmentation: the ๐คญ Face with Hand Over Mouth now has a consistently contented design across all major emoji vendors for the very first time.
Speaking of Apple, Facebook and WhatsApp users on iOS devices will continue to see native Apple emoji designs which are provided by the operating system. As we covered in last month's Emoji Wrap, Apple also introduced support for Emoji 14.0 within iOS 15.4. ๐๐
As well as adding support for Emoji 14.0, Facebook's emoji update also introduced a series of ๐งโ๐คโ๐ง People Holding Hands variants first recommended in late 2019's Emoji 12.1.
Meanwhile, while Unicode are still considering what new emojis will debut in this September's expected Emoji 15.0 recommendations (one candidate being a plain Pink Heart), the consortium have announced that they are now accepting proposals for 2023's Emoji 16.0. ๐โ๏ธ
However, Unicode will not be considering any new flag emoji proposals for Emoji 16.0. This is a decision you can find summarized on the Emojipedia blog, and you can also read Unicode's annoucement on the matter. ๐ ๐
Plus, emoji reactions in Google Docs, an interview with the Emoji Kitchen's head chef, and 10 years' worth of data on ๐ Face with Tears of Joy and ๐ญ Loudly Crying Face current battle on Twitter - all in this month's edition of the Emoji Wrap! ๐ฏ๐ฏ
โจ New Emojis
๐ Facebook Emoji 14.0 Changelog
Late last week Facebook has began rolling its latest emoji update, introducing 107 new emojis from last year's Emoji 14.0 and 30 different ๐งโ๐คโ๐ง People Holding Hands emojis from 2019's Emoji 12.1.
This emoji release also updated existing ๐คญ Face with Hand Over Mouth and ๐ Syringe emoji designs.
๐ข WhatsApp 2.22.8.79 Emoji Changelog
107 new emojis from Emoji 14.0 were also introduced for WhatsApp users in the messaging platform's 2.22.8.79 update for Android devices. Alongside newcomers such as ๐ซก Saluting Face, ๐ซต Index Pointing at the Viewer, and ๐ง Troll, this update subtly changed Emoji 13.0's ๐ซ Fondue design.
๐ฐ News
๐ ๐ Propose A New Emoji, But No More Flags
As mentioned above, Unicode is now once again accepting proposals for brand new emojis. Proposals will be accepted for consideration until July 31st 2022, with successful proposals expected to be included in 2023's Emoji 16.0 recommendations and released across emoji keyboards from late 2023 into early 2024.
However, Unicode will not be accepting any new flag emoji proposals. We've summarized their rationale in this blog post here. ๐ ๐
๐ณ๏ธ๐ด The Past and Future of Flag Emojis
If you'd like to delve beyond our summary linked above, you can read Unicode's full blog post on the past and future of flag emojis here, which fully outlines their decision to not consider any flag emoji proposals for Emoji 16.0. ๐ณ๏ธ๐ด
๐ Emoji reactions are coming to Google Docs
Words ever fail you when reviewing someone else's writing? Well soon Google Docs users will be able to add emoji reactions to any documents they're reviewing, with all of the currently 3,633 Unicode-recommended emojis being made available as reaction options. ๐ฅฐ๐ก
10 Years of ๐๐๐ญ on Twitter
Last year the ๐ Face with Tears of Joy was overtaken as Twitter's top emoji for the first time in nine years. Last month it reclaimed its title from ๐ญ Loudly Crying Face, albeit by the slimmest of margins.
we visualized the ongoing duel between these two emojis for the top spot, while also displaying the rise and fall of ๐ Face with Tears of Joy over the last ten years. ๐๐๏ธ
๐ญ Interesting
๐คจ Whatโs that weird box next to my emoji?
As part of Google's "Ask a Techspert" blog series, Molly McHugh-Johnson interviews fellow Googler Jennifer Daniel - creative director of Google's emoji program and the current the Unicode Emoji Subcommitte.
Here they discuss why emojis have historically often appeared as mystery boxes (e.g. ๔ฟฟ๔ฟฟ๔ฟฟ๔ฟฟ๔ฟฟ๔ฟฟ) and what Google has been doing to resolve this issue on Android devices (as covered on the Emojipedia blog ahead of World Emoji Day 2021). ๐คโซ
๐ฉโ๐ณ Learn all about Google's Emoji Kitchen from its head chef
In another interview with Google's Jennifer Daniel, Android Police's Ryne Hager interviews the [Emoji Subcommitte] Chairperson(https://blog.emojipedia.org/meet-the-new-chair-of-the-unicode-emoji-subcommittee/) about Gboard's Emoji Kitchen feature, which she co-created back in early 2020.
They discuss the creative process for the Kitchen's mash-ups, as well as some of the feature's wildest designs. ๐๐ท๏ธ
โ Very Fine Day interview with Jeremy Burge
Here the Very Fine Day interview newsletter by VICE AU's Brad Esposito catches up with Emojipedia's former Chief Emoji Officer Jeremy Burge, talking about Emojipedia's founding and what it's like living on a narrowboat and sailing across the United Kingdom. ๐ฅ๏ธโ
๐ค Lastly
That does it for another edition of the Emoji Wrap - Emojipedia's monthly-ish emoji newsletter! ๐ฏ๐ฏ
As always, 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:
- ๐ Our Senior Emoji Lexicographer Jane Solomon
- ๐จ Our Head of Emoji Design Joshua Jones
- ๐๏ธ And me, Emojipedia's Editor in Chief, Keith Broni