How to Get New Emojis on Any Device
Emojis aren't built into apps — they're part of your operating system. That's why getting new emojis almost always means updating your OS, not downloading a separate emoji pack. Understanding this distinction changes how you approach the whole process.
Why Your OS Controls Which Emojis You See
Every major platform — Android, iOS, Windows, macOS — maintains its own emoji font file. When you type or receive an emoji, your device renders it using that font. If your OS doesn't include a particular emoji character, you'll either see a blank box, a question mark, or a plain-text fallback instead.
New emoji are standardized through Unicode, the international body that defines which characters exist across all computing systems. Unicode releases updated emoji sets — called Emoji versions — roughly once a year. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung then implement those new characters in their own visual style and roll them out through OS updates.
So when someone sends you a new emoji and you see 🔲 instead of what they intended, it's not your app that's behind — it's your operating system.
The Most Reliable Way: Update Your Operating System
On iPhone and iPad (iOS/iPadOS)
Go to Settings → General → Software Update. Apple typically includes new Unicode emojis in major iOS releases (e.g., iOS 16, iOS 17) and sometimes in minor point releases. After updating, the new emojis appear automatically in your keyboard — no extra steps needed.
On Android
The path depends heavily on your device manufacturer and carrier. Stock Android (Pixel phones) receives updates directly from Google. Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola, and others receive the same Unicode support but roll it out on their own schedules, sometimes months later.
Go to Settings → System → System Update (or similar — menus vary by manufacturer). If an update is available, install it. If your device is no longer receiving OS updates, newer emojis may not be available through this route.
On Windows
Windows updates emoji support through Windows Update and through font updates to Segoe UI Emoji, the system emoji font. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for Updates. Windows 11 has also introduced animated and 3D-style emojis in some contexts, which arrive through the same update pipeline.
On macOS
Open System Settings (or System Preferences) → General → Software Update. macOS typically bundles new emoji support into major releases. The emoji are rendered in Apple's style, consistent with iOS.
What If You Can't Update Your OS?
This is where it gets more nuanced. Older devices — particularly Android phones no longer supported by their manufacturer — may be stuck on an OS version that predates recent Unicode releases.
A few partial workarounds exist:
- Use web-based platforms (like WhatsApp Web, Slack in a browser, or Discord in Chrome). Some platforms render emojis using their own image sets rather than relying on your OS font. This means you might see a new emoji correctly in a web app even if your OS can't render it natively.
- Some apps bundle their own emoji rendering. WhatsApp, for example, has historically used its own emoji images, which can be updated independently of your OS through app updates. This doesn't add the emojis to your keyboard, but it can fix blank-box display issues.
- Third-party emoji keyboards (Android only) let you type and send emojis using image-based sets — but recipients may still see the blank-box issue on their end if their OS is outdated too.
None of these workarounds are complete solutions. They address display, not full system-level support.
Platform and Version Variables That Affect Your Experience 📱
| Factor | Impact on Emoji Access |
|---|---|
| OS version | Primary determinant of which emoji characters are supported |
| Device manufacturer (Android) | Controls update timing and frequency |
| App being used | Some apps use their own emoji image sets |
| Unicode version gap | Older OS = more characters rendered as blank boxes |
| Recipient's device | Even if you send correctly, they may see a fallback |
What "New Emojis" Actually Means Across Platforms
It's worth noting that the same Unicode character looks different on every platform. 🎉 on iPhone looks noticeably different from 🎉 on Android or Windows — same character, different visual design. When Apple, Google, or Microsoft updates their emoji art style, those redesigns also arrive through OS updates, separate from whether a character is new to Unicode.
This means "getting new emojis" can refer to two different things:
- New characters — emoji that didn't previously exist in Unicode (new face, new object, new symbol)
- Redesigned existing emoji — updated visual styles for characters that already existed
Both arrive through OS and system font updates. App updates can sometimes refresh emoji visuals in platforms that use custom image sets, but for character-level additions, the OS is the source of truth.
The Variable That Changes Everything
How quickly and easily you can access new emojis depends almost entirely on what device you're on and whether it's still actively supported. A current iPhone or Pixel phone running the latest OS will have new Unicode emojis within weeks of Apple or Google implementing them. An older Android phone that stopped receiving manufacturer updates in 2021 may be several Unicode versions behind — and no amount of app updates will fully close that gap.
Your specific device model, its current OS version, your manufacturer's update track record, and which apps you primarily communicate through all determine what "getting new emojis" actually looks like for your setup.