After 26 years, NTT Docomo is retiring all its emojis in June
The decision to phase them out was made "in light of the current status of emoji usage."
The set will no longer appear on models released in late June and beyond; this applies to Android smartphones and Docomo cellphones. Galaxy series phones are briefly exempt as all new models from July will no longer feature the emojis.
Those with older models will also see the set eventually disappear following a software update scheduled for October at the earliest.
The company is calling for users to switch over to emojis created by Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.
Docomo's emojis were first introduced to cellphones in 1999 via the provider's "i-mode" internet connection service. They gained widespread use to supplement or substitute text in those early days of digital communication.
These deceptively simple designs have significantly impacted overseas emoji culture as well. In 2016, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York acquired and exhibited that original 176-emoji set.
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