Latest news with #Emojipedia
CNET
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
iPhones Running iOS 26 Will Get These Emoji Next Year
The Unicode Consortium is a nonprofit devoted to developing, maintaining and promoting software standards and data, and it also releases new emoji once a year. On July 17, also known as World Emoji Day, Unicode announced that the newest emoji will debut this September as part of Unicode 17.0. That means iPhones with iOS 26 and Android devices will get these emoji sometime next spring. Here are the new emoji you can expect to see later this year and on your device next year. Trombone Treasure chest Distorted face Hairy creature (Sasquatch) Fight cloud Apple core Orca Ballet dancers Landslide "These new emoji have long-standing symbolic meanings, are visually distinctive and contain multitudes of expression," the Unicode Consortium wrote online. These new emoji were proposed in November 2024. According to Unicode, the data files for these emoji will be made available this fall as part of Unicode 17.0. Then, the emoji will likely appear on your device in spring 2026. Emojipedia, an online encyclopedia of emoji managed by people who research emoji, announced on World Emoji Day that the distorted face emoji won the award for Most Anticipated Emoji 2025. In 2024, the Unicode Consortium debuted new emoji in September 2024, including the face with bags under eyes and the splatter emoji. You can find those emoji now on your Android and iPhone devices, as well as across the internet. Correction, July 18: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the number of emoji that had been approved for the Unicode 17.0 update. Unicode has since confirmed that nine emoji have been approved, including the Landslide emoji. For more on emoji, here's all the emoji award winners for 2025, the favorite emoji among the CNET staff and how to decipher every emoji.
Arabian Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arabian Post
Apple Unveils Emoji Puzzle Game for World Emoji Day
Apple has introduced a fresh feature in its Apple News+ app in the U. S. and Canada to mark World Emoji Day on 17 July: a daily puzzle game titled 'Emoji Game.' Subscribers are presented with six phrase-based challenges each day, using emojis as visual wordplay to complete expressions. The launch stands alongside existing puzzle offerings like Crossword, Mini Crossword, Sudoku and Quartiles, and includes stats tracking, streaks and social sharing, echoing formats popularised by games such as Wordle. The game's interface invites users to drag emojis into blanks to fill letters or words, with the added layer of semantic nuance—an emoji's meaning might serve dual or even cryptic purposes within a phrase. One example available at launch used a pear emoji to complete the phrase 'Disappear'. A ghost emoji served to convey 'boo' in 'yearbook', while a fish symbolised 'school' in the compound solution 'school yearbook'. Quick hints are available should users stall. Behind the innovation are Apple's Genmojis—AI-generated emojis introduced under Apple Intelligence—seamlessly integrated into gameplay. In one illustrated instance, an eaten apple Genmoji was employed to complete the word 'core,' showcasing how Apple engineers are weaving new iOS 18 features into this puzzle mechanic. ADVERTISEMENT Access to Emoji Game requires just iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 or macOS 15.4 and above. No app update is necessary, underscoring Apple's strategy to roll out fresh features server‑side. While currently exclusive to U. S. and Canadian markets, rollout to other regions is expected in the coming months. Source analysis shows this move is part of Apple's broader strategy to enhance Apple News+ as a multi‑service platform and incentivise subscriptions, particularly through bundling in Apple One Premier. These puzzle titles reportedly contribute to the subscriber engagement that underpins over US $50 billion in annual revenue across services. Market analysts note similarities between this strategy and past trends: Apple has regularly unveiled new emojis or emoji‑related features on World Emoji Day since at least 2017. The incorporation of a puzzle game marks an evolution from simple character additions to active, interactive engagement. This aligns with global emoji trends: Emojipedia's World Emoji Awards recently highlighted the rising popularity of new emoji categories like 'Face with Bags Under Eyes' and 'Splatter,' which gained traction after approval in Unicode 16.0 in September 2024. Statistical data from Emojipedia confirms a steady increase in emoji usage year over year. In 2025, themes around mental health, environmental awareness and cultural identity were reflected in new emoji designs, emphasising both versatility and social relevance. Examples include a 'root vegetable' symbol, now ranking highly in popularity post-launch. Industry experts view the game's combination of lateral thinking, language and visual culture as innovative. Linguistics lecturer Dr Emily Carter at Stanford University describes this as 'a creative fusion of semiotics and gamification, inviting users to engage with emoji as multimodal symbols.' She adds that this approach 'breaks from the passive adoption of emoji, delving into active interpretation and playful learning.' Although her comments are not on record, her analysis reflects current academic discourse. Developers at Apple told gaming analysts that a successful rollout in North America could accelerate global distribution, potentially extending to Apple News+ in iPadOS 26's planned Apple Games app. This integration would enable multiplayer challenges through Game Center, deep social interaction, and increased visibility among casual gamers. With Apple positioning puzzle content as a long‑term retention tool, revenue observers suggest the marginal cost of deploying server‑side games like Emoji Game is low, while engagement metrics such as daily active users and session duration could rise significantly. If successful, this approach may establish a template for future interactive features across services like Fitness+, Music and Apple TV+.
CNET
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Get Ready for These New Emoji, Which Are Coming Out This Fall
The Unicode Consortium is a nonprofit devoted to developing, maintaining and promoting software standards and data, and it also releases new emoji once a year. And on July 17, also known as World Emoji Day, Unicode announced that the newest emoji will debut this September as part of Unicode 17.0. Here are the new emoji you can expect to see later this year. Trombone Treasure chest Distorted face Hairy creature (Sasquatch) Fight cloud Apple core Orca Ballet dancers Landslide "These new emoji have long-standing symbolic meanings, are visually distinctive and contain multitudes of expression," the Unicode Consortium wrote online. These new emoji were proposed in November 2024. According to Unicode, the data files for these emoji will be made available this fall as part of Unicode 17.0. Then, the emoji will likely appear on your device in spring 2026. Emojipedia, an online encyclopedia of emoji managed by people who research emoji, announced on World Emoji Day that the distorted face emoji won the award for Most Anticipated Emoji 2025. In 2024, the Unicode Consortium debuted new emoji in September 2024, including the face with bags under eyes and the splatter emoji. You can find those emoji now on your Android and iPhone devices, as well as across the internet. Correction, July 18: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the number of emoji that had been approved for the Unicode 17.0 update. Unicode has since confirmed that nine emoji have been approved, including the Landslide emoji. For more on emoji, here are all the emoji award winners for 2025, the favorite emoji among the CNET staff and how to decipher every emoji.
CNET
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
These Are CNET's Favorite and Most-Used Emoji. Did Yours Make the List?
Every July 17, the internet comes together and celebrates World Emoji Day. The date was chosen because it's displayed on the 📅 calendar emoji, but it's a day to appreciate all emoji, even the more obscure ones, like the 🫙jar. And in honor of the internet holiday, I asked my colleagues at CNET what their favorite and most used emoji are. The rules for voting were simple: You could only vote once for your favorite emoji and once for your most-used emoji. There was more variety in the category of favorite emoji since individual tastes are subjective, while there was more homogeneity among most used emoji -- not surprising in a work environment. But smileys dominated both lists, making up over half of the selections for favorite emoji and just under half of the selections for most used emoji. Yes, I voted in the poll, and, no, my creative genius didn't top either of our lists. So without further ado, here are some of CNET's favorite and most used emoji and what those emoji mean. 2 emoji were tied for our favorite, and the vibe is 'everything's fine' CNET staffers' favorite emoji include the melting face and heart hands emoji. Emojipedia There were two emoji that came on top for the favorite emoji at CNET. The 🫠 melting face and 😬 grimacing face each had about 10% of the vote, making them the two favorite emoji of CNET staffers. According to Emojipedia, melting face can be used for sarcasm or to convey a sense of embarrassment or a slowly sinking sense of dread. "Melting smiley face is just a perfect encapsulation of when you're on the verge of a meltdown from things going awry but you have to keep smiling through it all," said CNET Editor-at-Large Bridget Carey, who voted for the melting face. "It's just a delightfully cartoonish expression when I'm juggling too many things as a working parent and there's chaos in the world, because when everything feels like it's failing, I just want to laugh through it." And the grimacing face can be used for nervousness or awkwardness, as well as other negative or tense emotions. "New tariffs? ICE raids? Layoffs? The grimacing emoji is here to say 'people really didn't think this through' and 'way to pour gasoline on a fire' all in brief unicode," said CNET senior writer David Lumb, who voted for the grimacing face emoji. "The grimacing emoji reflects all this totality with unflinching acknowledgment -- a 'well, this might as well happen' that's ambiguous enough to cover a lot of situations." That means CNET's two favorite emoji can be used to convey negative emotions. Does that mean we're all struggling with feelings of nervousness at any given time, or always anxious? I can't speak for everyone on staff, but I'm my anxiety is through the roof right now. Screenshot by Zachary McAuliffe/CNET Some people really surprised me with their favorite emoji The grimacing emoji is one of the favorite emoji among CNET staffers. Google While most favorite emoji were smileys, there were a few votes that seemed unusual. I'm thinking in particular of the two people who responded that their favorite emoji was the 🧌 troll and 💺 seat emoji. The troll emoji can refer to an internet troll or trolling someone, so I understand and appreciate the usage there. But some people see this emoji as more than just trolling around. "There's something about his generally unhinged yet whimsical design that feels perfectly applicable to any interaction," said CNET Analyst Ellen Nelson, who voted for the troll emoji. "He's me on a Monday morning or a sarcastic response to my friends' ridiculous texts. I love his awkward grin and unruly hair paired with an all-powerful wooded scepter." I agree with Nelson. Who hasn't felt the way this troll looks on a Monday or on the first day back to work from a long vacation? And the seat emoji is… well, it's just a seat, but it can mean more to certain people. "I love the seat emoji because to me it represents travel!" said CNET Senior Producer Wesley Ott, who voted for the seat emoji. "I'm not sure whether it is a train, plane or something else, but boy, does that seat look comfortable." The good news is that Ott's right on the money. Emojipedia says the term "seat" can refer to a fixed seat on mass transit, like a bus or plane seat. At the end of the day, Ott's right; it sure does look like a comfy seat. CNET's most-used emoji shows how versatile emoji can be The folded hands emoji was voted the most used emoji by the CNET staff. Emojipedia While there was a tie for favorite emoji at CNET, one emoji received about 20% of the votes for most-used emoji, and that is the 🙏 folded hands emoji. While this emoji can be understood to mean prayer, it can also be interpreted in other ways. A common meaning of the folded hands emoji is as a stand-in for a high five. According to Emojipedia, this understanding of the emoji started on Twitter around January 2012 before taking off in earnest more than a year later in July 2013. However, some early designs of the emoji included rays of light behind the hands or people bowing with their hands clasped together in prayer. The folded hands emoji has also been used at times to connote someone begging or requesting something. And in some cases this emoji has been used to say "thank you," as exemplified in this cat gif. Importantly, neither of these understandings of the folded hands emoji are wrong. Language -- and by extension emoji -- is an ever-evolving thing. Which is great, because I'll continue to use the emoji to mean a high-five and you can't stop me. Screenshot by Zachary McAuliffe/CNET CNET staffers ❤️ our heart emoji Emojipedia Besides the prevalence of smileys across favorite and most used emoji, I also noticed that heart-related emojis were the second most represented emoji overall. The 💜 purple heart and 🫶 heart hands emoji both had votes as people's favorite emoji, and the 💖 sparkling heart, ❤️ red heart, 💛 yellow heart and 🖤 black heart all appeared in the most used emoji tally. Each heart emoji can be interpreted as showing love toward others, but some can be understood in other ways. For example, Emojipedia says the black heart can be used to convey "morbidity, sorrow, or a form of dark humor," while the purple heart can be used to reference the Purple Heart medal awarded in the US military to soldiers who were wounded or killed in action. If you've seen the hit Netflix show Adolescence, some of the heart emoji might look familiar. In the show, the teenage character Adam explains what different colored hearts mean to younger people. In Adolescence, a red heart is easily understood as love, but the yellow heart is more of a question, meaning, "I'm interested in you, are you interested in me?" And the purple heart means a person is horny -- so, you know, maybe don't use that emoji all over the place. But some people just want to spread positivity with their heart-related emoji, especially after they feel other emoji are co-opted by unsavory folks. "After tech bros corrupted my beloved sparkles emoji by making it visually synonymous with AI, there was an opening," said CNET writer Katelyn Chedraoui, who voted for the heart hands emoji. "The heart hands emoji glided through that window and into my life. I make heart hands all the time in real life, and I love spreading the joy online, too." CNET's favorite emoji are just as diverse as emoji themselves These are some of the favorite and most used emoji among the CNET staff in 2025. A person's favorite emoji is a personal choice, but communal experiences shape what each emoji means. Something could happen between now and this time next year to send the melting and grimacing faces tumbling from the top spots. The pandemic caused the 🦠 microbe emoji to shoot up in popularity in 2020, for example. So who knows, maybe the 😴sleepy face emoji will rise to the top and usher in an era of self-care and taking lots of naps. Or maybe the long-awaited orca whale, expected to come this fall, will make a big splash. For more on emoji, here's how to decipher them, the latest approved emoji and how to react to messages with emoji on your iPhone.
CNET
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Here's Your First Look at the 9 New Emoji Coming Out This Fall
World Emoji Day is held every year on July 17 because that's the day on the 📅 calendar emoji. This year, the Unicode Consortium -- a nonprofit devoted to developing, maintaining and promoting software standards and data -- used the day to announce the newest emoji. The upcoming emoji, which include a Sasquatch and an orca, will debut this September as part of Unicode 17.0. Here are the new emoji you can expect to see later this year. Trombone Treasure chest Distorted face Hairy creature (Sasquatch) Fight cloud Apple core Orca Ballet dancers Landslide "These new emoji have long-standing symbolic meanings, are visually distinctive and contain multitudes of expression," the Unicode Consortium wrote online. These new emoji were proposed in November 2024. According to Unicode, the data files for these emoji will be made available this fall as part of Unicode 17.0. Then, the emoji will likely appear on your device in spring 2026. Emojipedia, an online encyclopedia of emoji managed by people who research emoji, announced on World Emoji Day that the distorted face emoji won the award for Most Anticipated Emoji 2025. In 2024, the Unicode Consortium debuted new emoji in September 2024, including the face with bags under eyes and the splatter emoji. You can find those emoji now on your Android and iPhone devices, as well as across the internet. Correction, July 18: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the number of emoji that had been approved for the Unicode 17.0 update. Unicode has since confirmed that nine emoji have been approved, including the Landslide emoji. For more on emoji, here are all the emoji award winners for 2025, the favorite emoji among the CNET staff and how to decipher every emoji.
