GoKawiil
Tech News
The emoji set, now approaching 4,000 symbols since Unicode standardized them in 2010, began as a narrow set of everyday icons like a sun, train and coffee cup for late-1990s mobile users. Since then, the Unicode Consortium has steadily added new entries based on public requests, from burritos to hedgehogs, without ever removing older ones once approved.
The Unicode Consortium approved nine new emoji on Sept. 16, including a pickle, a cracking face, left and right thumb gestures, a monarch butterfly, a lighthouse, a meteor, an eraser and a net with a handle. The cracking face replaces an originally proposed squinty face after a recommendation from the Unicode Emoji Standard & Research Working Group in January.
Google's September software update extends its newer, more dimensional 3D emoji design to the Pixel Watch 2, 3, and 4, matching the look already shipped on the Pixel Watch 5 and on phones running Android 17. The redesign adds shading and depth to emoji faces and objects, replacing the flatter previous style, according to 9to5Google.
WhatsApp is rolling out an update that lets Apple Watch users react to messages with any emoji from watchOS's full library, organized into eight categories including Smileys, Nature, and Objects. Previously, reactions on the Apple Watch app were limited to six default emojis, requiring an iPhone for anything else. Tapping and holding a message still shows the six defaults, but a new picker offers recent emojis and the complete system set.
Google has published details on how it designed its new Noto 3D emoji set, first unveiled at I/O in May, and confirmed which manufacturers will bring it to their phones. Partners include Nothing, Lenovo, Xiaomi, OPPO, OnePlus, realme, vivo, iQOO, HONOR, TECNO, Infinix, itel, and Motorola, alongside stock Android 17 devices like the Pixel 11. Samsung is notably absent, as it maintains its own emoji designs.
Hugging Face started as a teen chatbot app before pivoting to become a leading hub for open-source AI models and tools. Nvidia has now placed a $13 billion valuation bet on the company, underscoring its shift from novelty app to core AI infrastructure player.
Android Authority found a hidden feature in Google Photos version 7.90 that expands reactions on shared photos beyond a simple heart. Once enabled, it shows a redesigned reaction button alongside comments, and a floating bar suggesting emojis while also letting users tap through to the entire emoji picker to choose any reaction. The feature isn't publicly available yet but appears functional and ready for rollout.