Android gets an Emoji overhaul: Google reveals redesigned icons will include different skin tones (along with bacon, selfie, and facepalm pictures)

  • Blog post revealed new features coming to Android N Developer Preview 2
  • This includes support for Unicode 9 emojis, including bacon and selfie
  • Update will also allow people to change emoji skin tones, as iOS users can 
  • So far, it is only available as a beta program to be tested by developers 

Android emojis are about to get a much awaited makeover.

Some of the personified yellow blobs currently found on the emoji keyboard are set to be swapped for a more human-looking set of characters, Android N developers revealed this week.

The changes will be seen on Google Android devices and will support the designs from Unicode 9, meaning the face-palm and bacon emojis may finally be on the way.

Android emojis are about to get a much awaited makeover. Some of the personified yellow blobs currently found on the emoji keyboard are set to be swapped for a more human-looking set of characters, Android N developers revealed this week

Android emojis are about to get a much awaited makeover. Some of the personified yellow blobs currently found on the emoji keyboard are set to be swapped for a more human-looking set of characters, Android N developers revealed this week

WHO WILL SEE THE NEW EMOJIS? 

This update will give Android N users the ability to change emoji skin tones, which iOS users can already do, and will include a slew of sought-after characters, including bacon, a selfie arm, and face-palm.

Developers who use Android N can access the preview updates by enrolling in the Android Beta Program.

Otherwise, those already in the program will soon receive the update automatically.

The program is intended for developers, so it is not yet built for optimal performance and battery life.

But, the blog explains that feedback from the developers will help speed the progress in bringing these features to life.

In a recent post from Android Developers Blog, engineers revealed the new features coming with the release of the second Android N Developer Preview.

Among these will be the new emoji design, which supports Unicode 9.

This update will give Android N users the ability to change emoji skin tones, which iOS users can already do, and will include a slew of sought-after characters, including bacon, a selfie arm, and face-palm.

'We are introducing a new emoji design for people emoji that moves away from our generic look in favour of a more human-looking design,' the post says.

'If you're a keyboard or messaging app developer, you should start incorporating these emoji into your apps.

'The update also introduces support for skin tone variations and Unicode 9 glyphs, like the bacon, selfie, and face palm. You can dynamically check for the new emoji characters using Paint.hasGlyph ( ).'

The post gives a glimpse at what the new emojis will look like.

Straying far from the bulbous slugs featured in the current emoji set, the new designs bear similarity to those seen on iOS devices.

The new human and activity emojis feature human-looking characters each with a nose, a defined head, and even a chin.

Developers who use Android N can access the preview updates by enrolling in the Android Beta Program.

Straying far from the bulbous slugs (pictured above) featured in the current emoji set, the new designs bear similarity to those seen on iOS devices. This update will give users the ability to change emoji skin tones, and will include a slew of sought-after characters, including bacon, a selfie arm, and face-palm

Straying far from the bulbous slugs (pictured above) featured in the current emoji set, the new designs bear similarity to those seen on iOS devices. This update will give users the ability to change emoji skin tones, and will include a slew of sought-after characters, including bacon, a selfie arm, and face-palm

Otherwise, those already in the program will soon receive the update automatically.

According to the post, the N Developer Preview works with Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, and Pixel C devices, as well as General Mobile 4G [Android One] devices.

The program is intended for developers, so it is not yet built for optimal performance and battery life.

But, the blog explains that feedback from the developers will help speed the progress in bringing these features to life.

'The sooner we're able to get your feedback,' the post says, 'the more of it we will be able to incorporate in the next release of Android.'

Along with the launch of the new emojis, Developer Preview 2 will also fix bugs pointed out by the community, and will include Multi-window, bundled notifications. 

ARE YOU USING EMOJIS WRONG?

A study by the GroupLens research team at the University of Minnesota has explored how emoji look on different platforms and whether the variances lead to multiple interpretations. 

There are currently 1,282 emoji in the Unicode standard, set by the Unicode Consortium, which provides a name, such as U+1F600 for 'grinning face,' but critically doesn't dictate what the emoji should look like.

This means the likes of Apple and Google create their own look for each emoji they support, so that 'grinning face' has a different appearance when viewed on an iPhone to a Nexus phone, for example.

Among the most confusing emoji was IF606 or 'smiling face with open mouth and tightly-closed eyes' and 'grinning face and smiling eyes' (sentiment range pictured above)

Among the most confusing emoji was IF606 or 'smiling face with open mouth and tightly-closed eyes' and 'grinning face and smiling eyes' (sentiment range pictured above)

The team found there are at least 17 different renderings for any a given Unicode emoji character. They focused on the faces of people because they are the most commonly used, and the most likely to be misconstrued.

Participants were asked to rate 22 emoji used on five platforms by sentiment, using a scale between -5 to +5 for negative to positive.

The researchers found that participants disagreed on whether an emoji was positive, neural or negative a quarter of the time, even when rating them within a platform.

The experts found Apple's 'crying laughing' emoji was the most confusing within the platform with a score of 3.64, followed by the 'grinning' one with 3.50. Other scores are pictured 

The experts found Apple's 'crying laughing' emoji was the most confusing within the platform with a score of 3.64, followed by the 'grinning' one with 3.50. Other scores are pictured 

 

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