New emoji coming this fall when Unicode 17.0 launches
Emoji are unavoidable these days, regardless of whether you hate them, tolerate them, love them, or write using nothing else. The launch of new emoji is an event that is greeted by excitement, shrugs and shaken fists, and the Unicode Consortium has just unveiled some of the latest additions.
In all, eight new emoji have been revealed. They are scheduled to arrive in Unicode 17.0 later this year, but it is likely that they will be joined by other new images as well.
Waxing lyrical about emoji, the Unicode Consortium says:
From 🥹 to 🦖 to 🎸, emoji have become the world's favorite way to say anything—without saying a word. Whether you're texting your best friend, posting on social media, or cheering someone up with a perfectly-timed 😭, emoji help us connect across languages, cultures, and continents.
But have you ever wondered how a new emoji makes its way to your keyboard?
That’s where the Unicode Consortium comes in. We're the nonprofit behind the Unicode Standard—the foundation that, in short, ensures your text (and emoji!) work across all your devices, around the world. Every year, new characters including emoji are added to the Unicode Standard and after a lot of paperwork are added to your device of choice :)
So what are the new emoji that we have to look forward to? Sharing previews of some of the new arrivals, the Unicode Consortium says the newcomers include:
- Trombone
- Treasure Chest
- Distorted Face
- Hairy Creature
- Fight Cloud
- Apple Core
- Orca
- Ballet Dancers
Yes, that’s not a Big Foot, apparently; it is a rather more generic sounding “hairy creature”. There is probably a reason for this strange choice of name (copyright or licensing, perhaps), but no light has been shed on it.
There is something a little weird about the sneaky peek we have been given at eight new emoji. While the majority of them look great (the trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, Big Foot (sorry, “hairy creature”!), fight cloud, apple core and orca all look crisp), the ballet dancer emoji looks a bit blurry and crappy. Hopefully this is just a poor image rather than being indicative of a random instance of low quality, but we will have to wait to see.
Although Unicode 17.0 will launch in fall this year, you will have to wait a while longer before you can actually start to use them. The Unicode Consortium says that there is a “lot of paperwork” to do before these emoji hit devices. This means that you’re unlikely to see them on your iPhone or Android handset until some time in early 2026.
The Consortium uses this latest unveiling to promote its Adopt-a-Character Program which gives you the chance to “adopt” an emoji – and prices start at $100, all the way up to $5,000. This is a way to support the non-profit and for your money you get a digital badge and certificate “that you can proudly display”. Find out more here.