WhatsApp 2.26.8.72 Emoji Changelog

Today, WhatsApp began rolling out its latest update for Android devices, version 2.26.8.72. This update introduces support for the Emoji 17.0 recommendations and revised a small number of already-available emojis' designs.

🆕 New Emojis

A total of 143 new emoji designs have been added in today's update, all of which are drawn from Unicode's Emoji 17.0 list.

Amongst these brand new emojis are:

• 🫪 Distorted Face
• 🫯 Fight Cloud, as seen in cartoons and comic books
• 🧑‍🩰 Ballet Dancer (with five additional skin tone options)
• 🫍 Orca, also known as a "killer whale"
• 🫈 Hairy Creature, inspired by various global "Big Foot"-esque cryptids
• 🪊 Trombone
• 🛘 Landslide
• 🪎 Treasure Chest

Additionally, this WhatsApp emoji update contains support for a series of skin tone sequences for the existing 🤼 People Wrestling and 👯 People With Bunny Ears emojis.

Note that while single skin tone options for the three 🤼 People Wrestling and 👯 People With Bunny Ears variants were not formally recommended by Unicode until Emoji 17.0 last September, WhatsApp had already supported a selection of these emojis - specifically for the gender-neutral 🤼 People Wrestling and all three 👯 People With Bunny Ears variants.

🆙 Updated Emojis

The 🐦‍⬛ Black Bird emoji now shows the full body of the bird, instead of just its head, as per all other platforms.

The 🥧 Pie emoji is now a whole unsliced pie in a tin instead of a single slice of cherry pie.

The various 👯 People With Bunny Ears are now wearing plain black leotards and have both of their hands held behind their backs.

📶 Release

The new emojis from 2025's Emoji 17.0 are now available for Android users when the app updates to WhatsApp 2.26.8.72 or above.

Users of iOS devices will continue to see native Apple emoji designs which are provided by the operating system.