How New Emojis Get Approved
Every year (or thereabouts), the Unicode ConsortiumUnicode Consortium
The non-profit organization that develops and maintains the Unicode Standard, including the process for adding new emoji. evaluates proposals for new emojiEmoji
A Japanese word (็ตตๆๅญ) meaning 'picture character' โ small graphical symbols used in digital communication to express ideas, emotions, and objects. additions. The process is more rigorous than most people realize: candidates must pass a multi-factor evaluation that weighs expected usage frequency, distinctiveness from existing emoji, cross-cultural legibility, and whether the concept can be rendered recognizably at small sizes.
UnicodeUnicode
Universal character encoding standard that assigns a unique number to every character across all writing systems and symbol sets, including emoji. 16.0 was finalized in September 2024, with the emoji component โ Emoji 17.0 โ following on the same timeline. Device manufacturers and app developers typically need 6โ12 months to implement new emoji, so many Unicode 16.0 additions are appearing on devices through 2025.
What's New in Emoji 17.0
Unicode 16.0 / Emoji 17.0 added a focused set of new characters, continuing the trend of targeted additions rather than mass expansion. The additions span several categories.
Face and People Emoji
The face category remains perennially popular, and new additions here tend to see immediate high adoption:
- ๐ซจ Shaking Face โ a face vibrating with shock or excitement, filling a clear gap in the existing facial expression range
- New head shaking directional variants providing animated-style directional signals
Face emoji are among the most universally understood, since human facial expressions are cross-cultural in a way that objects and symbols are not.
Food and Drink
The food category continues expanding to reflect global cuisine:
- ๐ซ Jar โ previously lacking in the kitchen-items category
- Additional food items addressing regional gaps that emerged from the proposal review process
Food emoji are consistently among the most-requested category from the public. The challenge is achieving enough distinctiveness at 72x72 pixels that emoji across similar food types don't become visually ambiguous.
Objects and Symbols
- Shovel โ surprisingly absent from the existing tool emoji set
- Splatter / Fingerprint โ expanding the existing abstract/concept category
- Additional nature and environment emoji
New ZWJZero Width Joiner (ZWJ)
An invisible Unicode character (U+200D) used to join multiple emoji into a single composite emoji, such as combining people and objects into profession emoji. Sequences
Unicode 16.0 also introduces new Zero-Width Joiner sequences โ combinations of existing emoji that create new meanings. ZWJ sequences allow the emoji set to grow expressively without requiring entirely new codepoints for every variation. New family configurations and profession combinations expand representation options.
The Selection Process: Why Some Proposals Fail
Every year, emoji proposals from the public far outnumber approvals. Understanding what doesn't make the cut illuminates the philosophy behind emoji design.
Evaluation Criteria
The Emoji SubcommitteeEmoji Subcommittee (ESC)
The Unicode working group responsible for reviewing emoji proposals, setting encoding guidelines, and recommending new emoji for approval. evaluates each proposal against these factors:
| Factor | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Expected usage level | Will this see broad adoption, or only niche use? |
| Multiple meanings | Can it serve multiple purposes? |
| Distinct from existing | Does it fill a gap, or duplicate something already there? |
| Completeness | Does it logically extend an existing set? |
| Frequently requested | Is there documented public demand? |
| Legible at small sizes | Does it render recognizably at 18px? |
| Avoid transient | Is this culturally durable, not just a current trend? |
Proposals that fail often do so on the "distinct from existing" test โ many proposed emoji are already expressible through existing characters or ZWJ sequences.
Common Rejection Reasons
- Too specific: A proposal for a specific breed of dog, for example, fails because the existing ๐ covers the concept
- Visual ambiguity: Items that look too similar to existing emoji at small sizes
- Trademark concerns: Branded products or logos
- Offensive potential: Content that would be widely considered inappropriate in some cultural contexts
- Already expressible: Concepts already covered by ZWJ sequences or modifier combinations
Platform Implementation Timeline
After Unicode finalizes new emoji, the implementation journey begins:
- September: Unicode 16.0 finalized (2024)
- Q4 2024: Major platforms begin internal design work
- Q1โQ2 2025: iOS 18.x, Android updates begin shipping new designs
- Q2โQ3 2025: Windows, macOS updates roll out
- Late 2025: Broad availability across most devices and platforms
This staggered rollout means there's always a period where some users can see a new emoji (rendered correctly) while others see a question mark box or a generic placeholder. Platform support gaps affect usability for the first year of any new emoji's life.
Historical Context: Emoji Growth Over Time
The emoji vocabulary has grown dramatically since standardization:
| Version | Year | New Emoji Added |
|---|---|---|
| Emoji 1.0 | 2015 | 722 |
| Emoji 2.0 | 2015 | 0 (metadata update) |
| Emoji 3.0 | 2016 | 72 |
| Emoji 4.0 | 2016 | 72 |
| Emoji 5.0 | 2017 | 239 |
| Emoji 11.0 | 2018 | 157 |
| Emoji 12.0 | 2019 | 230 |
| Emoji 13.0 | 2020 | 117 |
| Emoji 14.0 | 2021 | 112 |
| Emoji 15.0 | 2022 | 31 |
| Emoji 15.1 | 2023 | 118 |
| Emoji 16.0 | 2024 | ~35 |
The trend since Emoji 13.0 has been toward smaller, more deliberate additions rather than the large batches seen in earlier versions. This reflects a maturing standard โ the obvious gaps have been filled, and additions now require more careful justification.
What the Community Is Requesting
Public proposals for future emoji versions consistently surface several popular requests that haven't yet been approved:
- Lime ๐โ๐ฉ โ distinct from lemon, highly requested
- Fingerprint โ for identity/security contexts
- Phoenix โ the mythological bird remains absent despite high request volume
- Pushing hand gesture variants
- Additional flag variants for nations and regions currently unrepresented
The Unicode Emoji Subcommittee publishes its review decisions, allowing the community to follow along as proposals advance or stall.
Explore Emoji Versions
Use our Emoji Stats tool to browse emoji by Unicode version โ from the original Emoji 1.0 set all the way through the latest additions โ and see how the standard has evolved year by year.