Currently in testing, version 16.0 of Unicode Emoji introduces several fun characters, such as an exhausted head with dark circles or a fingerprint. We will have to wait several months to see them adopted by Apple, Google or Microsoft.
Every year, the Unicode Consortium unveils new emojis. A seemingly trivial task, yet treated with great seriousness. Each application takes the form of a file of several pages, while the consortium, which brings together representatives from the entire new technology industry, scrupulously analyzes each proposal on its interest and inclusiveness, sometimes for several years. Its goal is to correctly represent the needs of society.
Today, the emojis are in version 15.1 (a version which caused controversy by removing the family emojis, since the consortium considers it impossible to define what a family is). By the end of 2024, version 16.0 should be added to our device keyboards. The preliminary list of new features has just been published on May 21, 2024.
Emojis in beta, with several months of finalization
On its site, the Unicode consortium does not present version 16.0 of the emoji code, but a version 16.0ß, for beta. It’s about a preview future emojis, which will evolve based on feedback from developers and first testers. An emoji that is difficult to generalize, for example, could see its guideline evolve.
In the list of new emojis in code 16.0, we find:
- A head with bags under the eyes (for information purposes, the proposal dates from 2018),
- A fingerprint,
- A leafless tree,
- A turnip,
- A harp,
- A shovel,
- A spot,
- The flag of Sark, an island between the United Kingdom and the English Channel.
When version 16.0 is finalized (the beta ends on July 2), designers from major brands will be able to design their own versions of these new additions. The Unicode consortium provides a guiding idea, but each brand is free to apply its vision (even if it is not intended to change the meaning of the emoji). Then, each major brand will be able to roll out the new emojis. For example, Apple likes to wait for version X.1 or that social networks can update their virtual keyboards more easily.
In short, despite the general public’s appetite for the bag emoji under the eyes for several hours, everything suggests that we should not hope for it too quickly. It is unlikely to see it anywhere before the end of 2024.
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