Android users will get new emojis soon, following uproar about Apple’s emoji updates

By Jason Hahn Updated October 26, 2015

1203214 autosave v1 emoji

Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users started to enjoy software updates that included more than 150 new emojis this week. Some Android users were up in arms about being left out in the cold. After all, they also have a wide range of emotions that must be expressed with a larger set of tiny icons. Fortunately for jealous Android users, their wishes have been heard.

The new emojis added to iOS 9.1 and watchOS 2.0.1 are are part of the approved list of 250 new emojis approved by the Unicode Consortium last September and early June. Apple rolled out some of those newly approved emojis in April and rolled out more this week.

The iOS and watchOS updates were a sore point for a set of Android users. One popular Reddit thread included calls to action for users to star an issue in the Android Open Source Project issue tracker and send tweets directly to Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Android, Chrome OS, and Chromecast at Google.

Lockheimer responded to all the feedback with this tweet:

So I have a feeling y’all want new emojis? a) Thanks for the feedback, b) We’re on it, and c) Sorry!

— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) October 23, 2015

Among the new emojis Apple included in this week’s software updates are: robot face, nerd face, face with head bandage, taco, skull and crossbones, and the much-talked-about reversed hand with middle finger.

Rooted Android users who can’t wait for the official rollout of new emojis can download an app called Emoji Switcher. However, this workaround appears to be hit or miss for now.

Topics

Contributor

Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

Mobile

Apple’s iOS 16.4 beta brings new emoji, web app notifications, and more

Sample of new emoji coming in iOS 16.4

Apple has just released the iOS 16.4 beta for developers and anyone else who wants a really early look at the new software. This is the first beta for iOS 16.4, following numerous releases for iOS 16.3.

The first highlighted items for iOS 16.4 are the new Unicode 15 emoji. These are the first new emoji in over a year. Some of these new emoji include a shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, goose, donkey, angel wing, jellyfish, pea pod, ginger, folding hand fan, maracas, flute, and more. These new emoji additions were originally proposed in July 2022, and they were added to the Unicode standard in September 2022. It has taken a few months for these to get added to iOS because designers at Apple needed to create the icons with the information provided by the Unicode Consortium.

Mobile

7 important tips to get your new Apple Watch ready for your wrist

The Apple Watch SE 2 ready to pair with a phone.

The Apple Watch is my favorite and most highly recommended smartwatch. If you’re just carefully unwrapping a new one from its clever, elongated packaging, congratulations!

I’ve been lucky enough to use and review every new Apple Watch since the very beginning, right up to the new Apple Watch Ultra, so I’ve had some experience in setting them up. This is what I do, and the settings I change, to make sure the Apple Watch is up and ready to go in double-quick time.
Getting started with your Apple Watch is easy

Mobile

Google’s Android monopoly finds its biggest challenge, and Apple might be next

Apps screen on the Google Pixel 7.

The Competition Commission of India slapped Google with two hefty fines over anti-competitive strategies that have allowed it to dominate the mobile ecosystem in India. Totaling over $250 million, the penalties reprimand Google for forcing smartphone makers to avoid Android forks, prefer Google’s web search service, and pre-install popular cash cows like YouTube on phones.

Google was also disciplined for forcing its own billing system on developers that allowed the giant to take up to a 30% share of all in-app purchases for applications listed on the app store. Google is not really a stranger to titanic penalties; The EU handed Google a record-breaking fine of approximately $5 billion in 2018 for abusing its dominant market position — a penalty that was upheld in September this year following Google’s appeal.