Jeremy Burge

Unicode meets next week for UTC151: the quarterly Unicode Technical Committee meeting where upcoming proposals are discussed. On the emoji agenda this month are a number of new items, namely the Emoji 5.0 updates which contains the final 2017 emoji [https://blog.emojipedia.org/final-2017-emoji-list/] list. While the emoji

Samsung released a software update last week which included the return of three Japan-specific emojis that had previously been removed [http://emojipedia.org/samsung/galaxy-note-7-revised/removed/] by the South Korean company. Above: These emojis had previously been removed from Samsung phones. 🗾 Map of Japan [http://emojipedia.org/silhouette-of-japan/] is one

The Unicode Consortium [http://unicode.org] celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. The truth is that despite all the work Unicode does to ensure text from languages around the world work — most of us know Unicode as the group that approves new emojis. What might not be so clear is

EmojiOne[1] has today released [http://emojione.com/blog/introducing-emojione-v30-at] version 3.0 which includes a complete redesign of every emoji, support for all emojis approved in 2016, and updates to licensing terms. Previously distributed with a Creative Commons license, EmojiOne has moved to a freemium model in this latest

Apple has updated the appearance of the paella emoji on iOS to resemble the traditional version of the dish, from its home town of Valencia. The paella emoji, listed in Unicode as 🥘 Shallow Pan of Food [http://emojipedia.org/shallow-pan-of-food/], was originally approved as part of Unicode 9.0 [http:

Microsoft today released Windows 10 "Creators Update" which adds support for the rainbow flag [http://emojipedia.org/rainbow-flag/] emoji, gendered emojis, and professions from Emoji 4.0 [http://emojipedia.org/emoji-4.0/] which was released in November 2016. This update includes 482 new emojis, plus in a first

A question asked with frequency [https://twitter.com/search?q=black%20family%20emojis] online is why there aren't any emojis for black families. In fact, aside from redheads [https://blog.emojipedia.org/utc-provides-feedback-on-redhead-emoji/], emojis for black families are some of the most requested from Emojipedia users.[1] There

Last year, Samsung released an impressive emoji update [https://blog.emojipedia.org/samsungs-biggest-ever-emoji-update/] which featured one puzzling addition: > Emojipedian @DHowett [https://twitter.com/DHowett] noticed something odd about this new emoji from Samsung. Can you spot it? https://t.co/47QKPgfOpG pic.twitter.com/NQtCwxFhk9 [https://t.co/NQtCwxFhk9]

After months of work aligning Unicode 10.0 [http://emojipedia.org/unicode-10.0/] code points with new features in Emoji 5.0 [http://emojipedia.org/emoji-5.0/], the 2017 emoji list [http://emojipedia.org/emoji-5.0/] is now final.[1] These include smileys, people, food, drink, flags, and for the

Samsung is due to release the Galaxy S8 on April 21, 2017. This release will include Samsung's own version of Android 7 "Nougat" which means new emojis. A total of 646 new emojis are present in this latest release, which includes all gender and skin tone

In the past, emoji updates were often referred to like this: > "There are 72 new emojis to be released in 2016, as part of Unicode 9.0 [http://emojipedia.org/unicode-9.0/]." This made sense, as the Unicode Consortium [http://unicode.org] releases a list of new

New emoji designs are now showing for all Facebook website users. This includes users of the desktop and mobile websites, but excludes Facebook mobile apps. After an effort began [https://blog.emojipedia.org/facebook-has-new-emojis-again/] in September 2016 to replace Facebook's limited older-style emojis; Emojipedia testing shows this new

With The Emoji Movie [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emoji_Movie] coming to cinemas this year, it's an interesting time to consider who, if anyone, owns "emoji", and what that even means[1]. When it comes to the topic of emoji and ownership, two questions

It's Chinese New Year [http://emojipedia.org/chinese-new-year], and many people will be celebrating around the globe. This year is year of the 🐓 Rooster [http://emojipedia.org/rooster/]. Fun Fact: Each of the Chinese Zodiac Animal Signs has an emoji. This is deliberate, and dates back to the

Unicode president Mark Davis today announced [https://twitter.com/mark_e_davis/status/824672697871327232] that flags of England [http://emojipedia.org/flag-for-england/], Scotland [http://emojipedia.org/flag-for-scotland/], and Wales [http://emojipedia.org/flag-for-wales/] have been approved as part of the forthcoming Emoji 5.0 [http://emojipedia.org/emoji-5.0/] standard.

Redheads are on the agenda at the next Unicode Technical Committee meeting, hosted by Apple next week. A new proposal (PDF) [http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2017/17011-redhead-emoji-options.pdf][1] from the Emoji Subcommittee seeks to clarify which approach Unicode would prefer to take when it comes to implementing a

Buried within Microsoft's latest Windows 10 Insiders build is an emoji update which adds the 🏳️‍🌈 Rainbow Flag [http://emojipedia.org/rainbow-flag/] emoji, genders, professions [http://emojipedia.org/emoji-4.0/], and in a first of any major platform — interracial couple emojis. Until now, all platforms have only supported the

The Google design team were months ahead of Apple with new emoji in the past year. Support for the latest emojis came to Android in the major Nougat release in August of 2016. Yet the vast majority of Android users still can't see these new emojis [http://emojipedia.

Sigh. You're there on your trusty phone that does not support the latest Android, or iOS. Or your Mac from 2010 that just won't die. What's the problem? This is: Everyone is upgrading their phones, loving the new emojis, and you're seeing

After a lengthy beta period, Apple today released [https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-releases-ios-10-2-with-new-emoji-tv-app-and-more] iOS 10.2 to the public. With 104 new emojis and a brand-new 3D emoji design, this is a big update for iPhone users. When taking into account skin tones and gender, a total of 422

The latest episode [http://podcast.emojiwrap.com/episodes/54857-5-emoji-dictator-of-the-world] of the Emoji Wrap podcast is out now [http://podcast.emojiwrap.com/episodes/54857-5-emoji-dictator-of-the-world], with special guest Paul Hunt, a font designer from Adobe: > "Custom emoji fonts, :hedgehog:, Clippy, the difference between gender neutral and gender inclusive, and what

Unicode today announced a proposed update [http://blog.unicode.org/2016/12/proposed-update-utr-51-unicode-emoji.html] which adds support for regional flags[1] such as England, Scotland, Wales[2], or states of the USA. Above: Flags for England, Scotland, and Wales proposed [https://blog.emojipedia.org/emoji-flags-for-england-scotland-and-wales/] in July 2016 may soon

To all those celebrating this holiday, here is a selection of emojis [http://emojipedia.org/thanksgiving/] that might come in handy: * 👏 Clapping Hands Sign [http://emojipedia.org/clapping-hands-sign/] * 🍂 Fallen Leaf [http://emojipedia.org/fallen-leaf/] * 💕 Two Hearts [http://emojipedia.org/two-hearts/] * 🦃 Turkey [http://emojipedia.org/turkey/] * 🍁 Maple Leaf [http://emojipedia.org/