Unicode locks final Emoji 18.0 designs ahead of September release
The next batch of emoji is official. Unicode has locked the final designs of Emoji 18.0, and Unicode Emoji Subcommittee chair Jennifer Daniel revealed the finalized artwork for all nine additions ahead of the standard’s September 15, 2026 release.
The nine new emoji
The complete Emoji 18.0 lineup:
- Cracking Face
- Leftwards Thumb
- Rightwards Thumb
- Monarch Butterfly
- Pickle
- Lighthouse
- Meteor
- Eraser
- Net With Handle
The set mixes new expressive faces and gestures with everyday objects, and each emoji will be redrawn in Apple, Google and Samsung style before it reaches your keyboard.
When they arrive on your phone
The standard itself ships on September 15, 2026, but that is only the starting gun. Emoji rollouts follow platform release cycles: expect the new set on Android in late 2026 and on iOS in early 2027. Until then, sending a Pickle will get you a blank placeholder box on most devices.
The meteor finally gets its name
There is a fun correction buried in this release. The flaming rock emoji that people have been sending as a comet is now officially designated the meteor, while the blue ice streak goes back to being the comet. Astronomy pedants can finally relax: the two space objects have been sorted into their correct names.
Small as they seem, emoji releases are one of the few standards updates that billions of people notice directly. Nine new symbols will quietly enter group chats, captions and reactions across every major platform over the next year. The only real question is which one gets overused first: the pickle or the side-facing thumbs.
Sources
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