In honor of World Emoji Day, Google revamped hundreds of its existing emoji (992 of them to be exact) to look more accurate and inclusive. And considering Unicode’s new emoji release has been postponed, at least we have some type of emoji content to celebrate the holiday with.
While I’d love to break down the design differences for the nearly 1,000 new emoji, I don’t have the time, patience, or sanity. Thankfully, Google has provided us with GIFs to showcase some of the more obvious changes:
A universal pie emoji
I’m glad Google has realized that pumpkin pie is not the only pie on the market. By upgrading it from a single slice to a whole pie, it lets the imagination run wild with all different types of fillings.
A better Bikini emoji
Credit: google
As a woman who has worn many different types of bathing suits in her lifetime, the old bikini emoji looks super uncomfortable. The new bikini emoji? With its full coverage for top and bottom? I can tell it’s ideal for cannonballs and belly flops in the pool.
Appetizing food emoji
CARD ID: 550290, CARD TYPE: SideBySide
As Google said in its blog post, “Other emoji just needed to be cooked a bit longer (or in some cases, dropped in the fryer).”
The more I look at the previous versions, the more I realize those food emoji weren’t cooked at all. I mean, that strip of bacon and the croissant both look downright sad. And the fried shrimp has a grayish tint to it. The new ones, on the other hand, look good enough to eat.
Sharper scissors emoji
Credit: google
That first emoji looks like a pair of safety scissors you’d give to an unhinged toddler to cut construction paper. But the new scissors emoji means business — it looks sharp enough to cut through cardboard, wire, rope, cloth, and really anything else you’re trying to sever.
A less depressing mask emoji
Credit: google
Why was the mask emoji so sad before? Masks help to limit the spread of disease, people. (I think we all know that by now.) And I’m glad to see the emoji up there now realizes it, too.
Easily identifiable transportation emoji
Credit: google
The new windows, tires, and more diverse color palette on the transportation emoji make them a lot easier to identify within the catalogue. They’re also just a lot more true to what you’d see on the road in real life.
A more accurate motorway
Credit: google
If the first roadway emoji was applied to the real world, there would be no room for a car to drive on the shoulder lanes. But with the new version, there’s now at least some room for an automobile to pass through.
New dark theme emoji, too
Credit: google
The camping emoji is an example of new options you’ll have for select characters (including the rocket ship emoji, sword emoji, and more) when you switch to the dark theme setting. Even though I hate camping with a burning passion, this one is actually pretty cool.
Google says its 992 redesigned emoji will arrive on Google Chat, Gmail, Chrome OS, and YouTube Live as soon as this month. But they won’t hit Android phones until sometime this fall in Android 12.
