December 19, 2025, 1:40 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
In the current beta version of Android 16 for Pixel smartphones, Google has revamped numerous emojis. It seems the company has taken a page from Apple’s playbook—the new look is clearly inspired by the competition. The changes affect not only classic smileys but also people, animals, everyday objects, and symbols.
Revamped Faces in Android 16 QPR3
Google is currently testing the third quarterly platform release (QPR3) of Android. With the update, several well-known emoji faces have received an updated design. These include:
- Melting face
- Face exhaling
- Gagging face
- Freezing face
- Weeping face
For the face exhaling, Google has adjusted the angle so the eyes look forward like most other emojis. The weeping face has a smaller mouth. The freezing face no longer has snow on the head or snowflakes; instead, icicles now symbolize the cold.
Overall, the design of the individual faces is significantly less playful. The new forms are strongly aligned with the look Apple has used for its emojis for years: simple, uniform, and expressive. According to Emojipedia, these changes aim to contribute to a cross-platform, familiar design.
Adjustments to People, Animals, and Objects
In addition to the faces, Google has revamped other emojis. These include animals like a raccoon and a zebra, as well as objects like a teapot and a flashlight. Here, too, the graphics are more closely aligned with designs from other platforms.
For bacon, a second strip has been added, matching the depiction on iOS. The tropical fish’s color scheme has been completely changed to match the iOS counterpart. Similarly, the cable car, which was previously blue, is now red in the current Android beta. Some emojis also face a different direction, such as the movie camera and the saw.
Also interesting: These Emojis Are Often Used Incorrectly!
These changes are already active in the first beta of Android 16 QPR3 and are likely tied to a system update. Android users will have to wait for the release of the final version to get the new emojis.
The new emojis have been available since September 2025 on Google’s fonts page as an update for the Noto Color Emoji series for the upcoming Unicode 17.0. However, new additions planned with the new Unicode version, such as Bigfoot, Orca, and Trombone, are not included.