In celebration of World Emoji Day, Google has now shared an overview of 117 emoji slated to arrive with Android 11. But it isn’t just brand new emoji that are incoming. Google also says the list includes emoji that have been reworked for better aesthetics in dark mode. And that others have been changed just to appear more “open-hearted,” bringing some “warmth” to familiar characters. Still, others have been reworked with more variations to be more inclusive.
Among the new emoji are an anatomically correct heart, a polar bear, bison, beaver, tamale, and teapot. But, as seen in Google’s shared preview images below, there is a whole lot more there to discover too.
Beyond Android 11, what else is new in the world of emoji?
Google has also added a ‘quick access emoji bar’ with its most recent Gboard beta update. Exact details about that feature haven’t been provided but prior rumors and leaks have suggested that will act as a dedicated place for users’ most recent emoji.
That would make it similar to the top segment of the emoji page that’s already within the app. The big difference would be that it showcases those above the rest of the keyboard. Or to the smart compose features that are speculated to arrive in the near future. More succinctly, that appears to be similar to how word-based suggestions appear.
There would also be a dedicated button on the bar to access all emoji.
The quick access bar will be available for all Gboard users when it arrives. That’s as opposed to being limited to Android 11, as the 117 new emoji appear to be.
When is all of this coming?
Now, the set of emoji in question is already available in Google’s own Gboard Android app in beta. Those will arrive in Android itself in fall with Android 11. And it’s a similar story for the above-mentioned quick access emoji bar. That’s being added to the beta app now and will arrive “in the coming months.”
Specifically, Android 11 is expected to arrive sometime in September.
In the meantime, getting access to the beta is straightforward. Users simply need to visit the Google Play Store page for Gboard, scroll down to the beta program card, and enroll. Then, an update will arrive to deliver the latest beta version.
