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What Are the New Emojis and Why Don’t You See Them Yet?

New emojis show up on your phone or computer every year, but what actually counts as “new” emojis, and why do some people have them while you don’t? The answer has more to do with standards bodies, operating systems, and app updates than most people realize.

This FAQ walks through what “new emojis” really means, how they’re decided, and what controls whether you can use them on your own devices.

What Does “New Emojis” Actually Mean?

When people say “the new emojis”, they’re usually talking about one of three things:

  1. New emoji characters
    These are completely new entries in the Unicode Standard (for example, a new animal, object, or gesture).

  2. New emoji designs
    These are visual redesigns of existing emojis by companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, or Samsung (for example, a different-looking smiley face or new style for the “person” emojis).

  3. New emoji combinations and variants
    These include things like:

    • New skin tone options
    • New gender or family combinations
    • New direction options (like a person facing right instead of left)
    • New sequence-based emojis (where multiple Unicode characters combine to form one emoji glyph)

From a standards point of view, “new emojis” are defined by Unicode, the organization that assigns a code point (a unique number) to every emoji. But what you actually see on your screen is controlled by:

  • Your operating system (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • The emoji font or design set that OS uses
  • The apps you’re typing in (which might have their own emoji sets)

So, a “new emoji” exists in three stages:

  1. Approved by Unicode (it officially exists as a character)
  2. Implemented by platform vendors (it gets artwork/designs on iOS, Android, etc.)
  3. Shipped to your device via updates (you can now see and send it)

Who Decides Which Emojis Are Added?

New emojis are handled by the Unicode Consortium, an industry group that maintains the Unicode Standard.

Here’s how the process works at a high level:

  1. Proposal
    Anyone can submit an emoji proposal to Unicode. It has to justify:

    • Expected frequency of use
    • Distinctiveness (does it add something new?)
    • Cultural relevance and usage
    • How it might be used in multiple contexts

  2. Review and approval
    Unicode members (which include major tech companies) review proposals and decide which ones to accept for a given version of the Unicode Standard.

  3. Assignment of code points
    Approved emojis get:

    • A name (e.g., “FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY”)
    • A code point (for example, U+1F602)
    • A general reference design (a simple black-and-white sample)

  4. Platform implementation
    Each company (Apple, Google, etc.):

    • Draws its own artwork in its house style
    • Decides when to include the new emojis in their OS or software updates

This is why the list of “new emojis” for a given year is the same across platforms in concept, but the art style and release timing are different.

Why Don’t New Emojis Look the Same on Every Device?

Every major platform has its own emoji style set:

  • Apple uses its own design set on iOS, iPadOS, macOS
  • Google maintains Noto Color Emoji for Android and other systems
  • Microsoft uses its own emoji set on Windows
  • Samsung, Twitter/X, Meta, and others have their own variations or used to maintain them

These designs can differ in:

  • Art style (flat vs. glossy, outlined vs. filled)
  • Color choices
  • Facial expressions (subtle differences in eyes, mouth, etc.)
  • Cultural references (hair, clothing, objects in the image)

All of them are interpreting the same Unicode character, but visually, they can feel quite different. So when you ask “what are the new emojis,” the answer depends on whose designs you’re actually seeing.

Why Can Others Use Emojis I Don’t See?

This is one of the most common questions when it comes to “new emojis.”

If someone sends you a brand‑new emoji and you:

  • See a blank box
  • See a question mark in a box (�)
  • See a generic placeholder symbol

…your device doesn’t yet know how to draw that emoji.

That usually happens because:

  1. Your operating system is on an older version that doesn’t include the latest emoji font.
  2. Your app uses its own emoji set and hasn’t updated yet.
  3. You’re using a platform that lags behind on adopting the latest Unicode version.

In simple terms:
The emoji is “real” in Unicode, but your device hasn’t been taught what it looks like.

What Affects Whether You Get New Emojis?

Whether you can see and use new emojis depends on several variables tied to your setup:

1. Operating System and Version

New emoji support is usually bundled into OS updates:

  • On iOS / iPadOS: New emojis arrive with major or minor system updates.
  • On Android: New emojis can arrive with:
    • Major OS releases
    • Google Play Services updates
    • Emoji font updates on some devices
  • On Windows / macOS: Emoji updates are typically part of system updates or font updates.

If your OS is several versions behind, you’ll almost certainly be missing the most recent emoji sets.

2. Device Age and Update Policy

Your device’s hardware and support window affect how long you receive updates:

  • Older phones or tablets may stop getting OS updates, which cuts off new emoji releases.
  • Some devices get security patches only, which often do not include new emoji fonts.

So two users on “Android” can have very different emoji support if:

  • One has a relatively new device on the latest major version
  • The other has an older device stuck on a much earlier version

3. Platform Vendor (Apple, Google, Samsung, etc.)

Each vendor decides:

  • Which Unicode version to support in a given release
  • How quickly to roll out the new emojis
  • Whether to backport new emojis to some older OS versions

This is why the timing of “new emojis” can differ between platforms even if Unicode has already approved them.

4. Apps and Services You Use

Some apps include their own emoji sets or rely on web-based rendering:

  • Messaging apps (like some social or chat platforms) may:
    • Roll out new emojis independently of your OS updates
    • Add shortcodes or custom emojis that aren’t part of Unicode
  • Web apps might:
    • Use images or SVG emoji sets that update on the server side
    • Show new emojis in a browser even if your OS doesn’t support them natively

So your emoji experience in a browser or a specific app might look newer than your system keyboard.

5. Keyboard and Input Method

Emoji support also depends on:

  • Your keyboard app (system keyboard vs. third‑party keyboard)
  • Whether the keyboard has updated layouts that include the newest emojis
  • How the keyboard organizes categories and search

Sometimes your OS technically supports the emoji, but your keyboard:

  • Hides it under a different category
  • Only lets you insert it via emoji search or copy‑paste

How “New” Emojis Reach Different Types of Users

Many people fall into one of a few broad profiles when it comes to emoji updates.

1. Early Adopters on New Devices

Typical setup:

  • Recent phone or tablet
  • Regularly updated to the latest major OS version
  • Uses built‑in system keyboard
  • Active on popular social and chat apps

Experience with new emojis:

  • Among the first to see and send the newest emojis
  • Often sees placeholders when sending to contacts on older devices
  • Notices styling changes (for example, redesigned faces or objects) quickly

2. Users on Older or Unsupported Devices

Typical setup:

  • Device that no longer receives major updates
  • Stuck on an older OS version
  • Uses default apps and keyboard

Experience with new emojis:

  • Frequently sees blank boxes or question‑mark boxes when others send newer emojis
  • Cannot insert brand‑new emojis from their own keyboard
  • May not realize newer emojis even exist unless they see them in screenshots or web content

3. Cross‑Platform and Mixed‑Environment Users

Typical setup:

  • Uses a combination of platforms (e.g., Windows PC + Android phone, or Mac + work laptop on a different OS)
  • Uses a mix of web apps and native apps

Experience with new emojis:

  • Notices that the same emoji looks different between devices
  • May be able to see a new emoji on one device (e.g., in a browser) but not type it easily on another
  • Encounters inconsistent rendering when copying emoji text across platforms

4. Enterprise or Locked‑Down Environments

Typical setup:

  • Work laptop or phone controlled by an organization
  • Updates are delayed or tightly managed
  • Restricted ability to install third‑party keyboards or apps

Experience with new emojis:

  • Emoji set can be several years behind consumer devices
  • May see mismatches between what colleagues and external contacts send
  • New emoji support often depends on IT update schedules, not personal choice

Why “What Are the New Emojis?” Has a Different Answer for Everyone

When you ask “what are the new emojis,” there are really three layers to the answer:

  1. Unicode’s latest emoji list
    This tells you what characters officially exist.

  2. Platform and OS implementation
    This defines which of those emojis have artwork and are supported on:

    • Your phone
    • Your computer
    • Your tablet
    • The apps you use most

  3. Your specific device, software version, and update habits
    These determine:

    • Which of those implementations you actually have
    • How consistent your emoji experience is across devices and apps

The result is that two people asking the same question at the same time can get practically different answers, even if the underlying Unicode set is the same. To know exactly which “new emojis” you have access to, you’d need to look at your own device model, OS version, update status, and the apps you rely on most.