New emoji: what arrived in 2025 and 2026
Every emoji added in the last two Unicode releases, with the name, the copy button and an honest note on which phones can show them yet.
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Emoji 18.0: approved September 2026
The Unicode Consortium approved Emoji 18.0 in September 2026 alongside Unicode 18.0. It adds nine new concepts: cracking face, leftwards thumb sign, rightwards thumb sign (both with skin tones), monarch butterfly, pickle, lighthouse, meteor, eraser and net with handle. Google published its first designs for the classic Noto Color Emoji font on approval day; phones and computers get them with later system updates, so most devices still show a box for now.
The artwork above is OpenMoji, an open-source set, because the platform fonts have not shipped yet. The characters copy correctly regardless; whether the recipient sees them depends on their device.
Emoji 17.0: on iPhone since March 2026
Emoji 17.0 was approved in September 2025 with eight new concepts: distorted face, fight cloud, hairy creature (the Bigfoot-style cryptid), 🧑🩰 ballet dancer (with skin tones), orca, landslide, trombone and treasure chest. Apple shipped all of them in iOS 26.4 in March 2026, together with 150 new skin-tone combinations for 🤼 people wrestling and 👯 people with bunny ears. Google added them to Android through its Noto Color Emoji updates.
| Release | Approved | Apple | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emoji 18.0 | September 2026 | Not yet announced | Noto designs published; devices to follow |
| Emoji 17.0 | September 2025 | iOS 26.4 (March 2026) | Android 16 updates |
| Emoji 16.0 | September 2024 | iOS 18.4 | Android 15 |
| Emoji 15.1 | September 2023 | iOS 17.4 | Android 14 |
Dates come from Emojipedia’s release coverage, linked under Sources. The Google column for Emoji 18.0 will be updated when a system version is announced.
Why a new emoji shows as a box
- Your system is older than the emoji. Emoji live in the operating system’s font, not in the app. Update iOS, Android, Windows or macOS and the box becomes the picture.
- The other person is behind. You can send from a new phone and it arrives as a box on an old one. The character is intact; only the drawing is missing.
- A sequence split in two. 🧑🩰 is a person plus ballet shoes joined by an invisible joiner. Old software shows the two halves side by side.
- Web fonts rarely help. Sites cannot ship a colour emoji font for every platform, which is why this directory shows Twemoji or OpenMoji artwork as a preview and copies the real character.
How to use the new ones
- Distorted face is the “I can’t believe what I just read” reaction, a louder cousin of 😳 and 🤯.
- Fight cloud stands for a scuffle, a chaotic group chat, or two pets sorting something out.
- Hairy creature covers Bigfoot, the Yeti, cryptids in general and anyone who has skipped a haircut.
- Cracking face is for exhaustion and burnout: the face that has had enough, one step past 🫠 melting face.
- Thumb signs are the hitchhiker and the “over there” point. They are not a new thumbs up.
- Pickle and net with handle sound niche but fill real gaps: the pickle for food chat and “in a pickle”, the net for fishing, butterflies and “caught”.
For the older favourites, start at emoji meanings or the most popular emoji list. To combine new emoji into a string, use the combo studio.
Fighting emoji, anxiety emoji and the feelings they cover
The closest thing to a fighting emoji in the new sets is fight cloud. It shows a dust cloud with fists and stars, used for scuffles, chaotic arguments, or playful tussles between pets and siblings. Pair it with 👊 or 💥 when you want the fight to feel more direct.
There is no dedicated anxiety emoji among the latest additions. Instead, distorted face and cracking face are useful for anxiety, overwhelm and burnout. reads as “I can’t believe what just happened” while says “I have nothing left.” For milder unease, 😰 anxious face with sweat and 😬 grimacing face still work well.
Both faces are louder than the older worried expressions, so they suit social media captions, reaction posts and late-night “I should be asleep” messages.
Future emojis, modern updates and what the new faces look like
The artwork on this page is a preview from OpenMoji. When the newest emojis are available in platform fonts, they will use each platform’s usual style.
The new hand emoji in the latest set are the leftwards and rightwards thumbs . They point left and right rather than up like 👍, which makes them useful for directions, hitchhiking, and pointing “over there”.
For a broader look at modern emoji across categories, browse emoji meanings or the emoji categories.
New emojis on iPhone
Apple adds new emoji through operating system updates, usually alongside a major release or a point update. If you have an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the latest iOS to get the newest characters on your keyboard.
The emoji on this page can be copied right now, even if your device doesn’t display them yet. When you paste them into a message, the recipient will see the correct character if their system is up to date. If they see a box, they likely need an update too.
Chat examples
Real messages with , and a reply that fits.
did you see the new emoji?
wait my phone just shows a box
me vs my inbox this morning
finally an orca
about time
Questions people ask
What are the newest emoji?
The nine Emoji 18.0 additions approved in September 2026: cracking face, leftwards and rightwards thumb signs, monarch butterfly, pickle, lighthouse, meteor, eraser and net with handle.
When will I get the new emoji on my iPhone?
Emoji 17.0 arrived in iOS 26.4 in March 2026. Apple has not announced a release for Emoji 18.0; based on the last few years it usually follows within six to nine months of approval, but that is a pattern, not a promise.
Why can’t I see the new emoji?
Your device’s font predates them. Update the operating system; if the sender is on a newer version than you, you will see a box until you update.
How many emoji are there now?
This directory lists 3,963 fully qualified sequences from the Unicode Emoji 18.0 data, including skin-tone and other variants.
Is there a new anxiety emoji?
No, the latest emoji additions did not include an anxiety-specific face. distorted face and cracking face are useful for anxiety or overwhelm.
When is the next emoji update?
The most recent emoji set is already approved. New emoji proposals are considered each year.
Which new emoji expresses burnout best?
cracking face is useful for burnout, especially paired with 🫠 melting face to show that you are completely spent.
Are YouTube emotes the same as new emoji?
No. YouTube emotes are custom images uploaded by channel owners for their live chat, and they only work on YouTube. They are separate from the Unicode emoji added to phones and computers, which appear across all apps.
About this guide
Written and maintained by the Emoji Directory editorial team, without ads or sponsorship. Meanings describe how the emoji is commonly used in public posts and messages, not an official definition. Names, code points, versions, keywords and translations come from the Unicode Emoji 18.0 and CLDR data; shortcodes from the gemoji project. Facts were checked against the sources listed above. Last reviewed . Spotted a mistake or a new usage? Tell us, or read how the directory is made.
