At first glance, Emoji 18.0 looks like another update packed with new emoji. But beyond additions like the cracked smiling face, leftwards thumb sign, rightwards thumb sign, pickle, lighthouse, meteor, eraser, net with handle, and monarch butterfly, Unicode is also fixing some of the internet’s longest running emoji mix-ups.
According to Jennifer Daniel, Chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, several of the changes are designed to resolve inconsistencies that have existed across platforms for years. Instead of relying on a single emoji to represent multiple concepts, Emoji 18.0 gives each one its own dedicated place on the keyboard.
One of the biggest changes involves the existing comet emoji. Depending on the platform, ☄️ has appeared as either a fiery meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere or the blue icy comet it was originally intended to represent. That confusion finally ends with Emoji 18.0, which introduces a dedicated meteor emoji while allowing the comet to consistently represent a comet across all platforms.
The pickle is another great example. For years, the cucumber emoji has looked suspiciously like a pickle on some devices, making the two almost impossible to tell apart. Emoji 18.0 finally gives pickles their own dedicated emoji, leaving the cucumber to consistently represent exactly what it is.
The monarch butterfly follows a similar pattern. Depending on the device, the existing butterfly emoji has appeared as either a monarch butterfly or a blue morpho butterfly. Emoji 18.0 introduces a separate monarch butterfly emoji, giving each butterfly its own distinct identity and eliminating another long standing inconsistency.
These changes are designed to make emoji more consistent across iPhone, Android, Windows, and other platforms. While Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and other vendors continue to create their own artwork, Unicode defines what each emoji is intended to represent.
The remaining additions expand the emoji library in their own ways. The cracked smiling face captures the feeling of trying to hold it together when everything is falling apart, while the leftwards and rightwards thumb sign emoji offer a more natural way to point toward people or objects in a conversation. Emoji 18.0 also adds a lighthouse, eraser, and net with handle, giving users even more ways to express themselves.
The new emoji are expected to begin arriving on devices after Unicode officially releases Emoji 18.0. Apple will likely add support in a future update to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, with Google, Samsung, and other platforms expected to follow.
While new emoji usually grab the headlines, Emoji 18.0 may ultimately be remembered for cleaning up years of inconsistencies. Whether it’s finally separating pickles from cucumbers, meteors from comets, or monarch butterflies from blue morphos, the update should make conversations a little clearer no matter which device you’re using.
