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New Emojis Coming in 2026: Emoji 18.0 Preview and Release Date

·10 min read

Every year, the Unicode Consortium approves a batch of new emojis, and 2026 is no exception. Emoji 18.0 is expected to drop later this year, bringing 9 new emoji concepts plus 10 skin-tone variations. That might sound like a small number compared to the massive emoji drops of earlier years, but some of these new additions are genuinely exciting.

I have been following the emoji approval process for a while now, mostly because I find it fascinating that a committee of volunteers decides what tiny pictures end up on all of our phones. The process is more rigorous than most people realize. An emoji has to go through multiple rounds of proposals, reviews, and votes before it gets approved. Some proposals get rejected. Some get modified beyond recognition. Only the survivors make it to your keyboard.

Here is everything we know about the new emojis coming in 2026.

How New Emojis Get Approved

Before we look at the specific emojis, it helps to understand how this process works. The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization based in California that maintains the Unicode standard — basically the master list of every character and symbol used in computing, including emojis.

Anyone can submit an emoji proposal. Seriously, anyone. You write up a document explaining what the emoji would look like, why it is needed, and how people would use it. The Unicode Emoji Subcommittee reviews these proposals, and the best ones make it to a draft list.

The draft list goes through several rounds of review. Members of the consortium (which includes companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta) discuss and vote on the candidates. If an emoji survives all the rounds, it gets added to the next version of the Unicode standard.

After approval, each platform designs its own version of the emoji. That is why the same emoji can look completely different on an iPhone versus an Android phone versus a Windows computer. Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft all have their own design teams creating their interpretations of each emoji.

When Will Emoji 18.0 Be Released?

Emoji 18.0 is expected to be finalized in September 2026 as part of Unicode 18.0. However, seeing the new emojis on your actual phone will take longer.

Apple typically adds new emojis in an iOS update a few months after the Unicode release, usually around October or November. Google usually rolls them out in an Android update around the same time. Samsung and other manufacturers follow their own schedules but are generally within a few months of the Unicode release.

So while the official standard drops in September, most people will see the new emojis on their phones between October 2026 and early 2027. That is the normal timeline, and it has been pretty consistent over the past few years.

The New Emojis: What We Know So Far

The Emoji 18.0 draft list, released late last year and updated in early 2026, includes 9 new emoji concepts. These are still technically in "draft" status, which means they could change slightly before final approval. But barring any surprises, these are the emojis coming to your phone later this year.

🏗️ Lighthouse

Finally. A lighthouse emoji. This one has been requested for years, and it is easy to see why. Lighthouses are beautiful, iconic structures with rich symbolic meaning — guidance, safety, hope in the darkness.

The lighthouse emoji will be useful for travel content, coastal living posts, and metaphorical uses about finding your way. I can already see it becoming popular in motivational posts and Instagram captions. "Be someone's lighthouse" type energy.

Personally, I think this one will be one of the most-used new emojis because it fills a real gap. We have mountains, beaches, cities, and forests in emoji form, but no lighthouse until now. About time.

☄️ Meteor

The meteor emoji shows a rock falling through the atmosphere with a fiery trail behind it. It will join the existing space emojis like 🌙 (moon), ⭐ (star), and 🪐 (planet).

Expect the meteor emoji to be used for dramatic moments, big announcements, and anything that hits hard and fast. "That news dropped like a meteor 💥." It could also be used for astronomy content, space news, and dinosaur extinction jokes.

The meteor is distinct from the existing comet emoji (☄️), which shows a different celestial object. Having both gives people more options for space-themed content. If you are into space and planet emojis, this is a great addition to the collection.

🥒 Pickle

Yes, we are getting a pickle emoji. You might think we already have one because of the cucumber emoji 🥒, but technically a cucumber and a pickle are different things (one has been pickled, obviously). The new pickle emoji will show a pickled cucumber, probably with bumps and a different color than the smooth green cucumber.

This one is going to be popular with foodies and meme culture. "I am kind of a big dill" pickle puns will reach peak levels. And for fans of the show "Rick and Morty," the "I turned myself into a pickle" jokes will have a proper emoji at last.

From a practical standpoint, a pickle emoji is genuinely useful for food-related conversations. People love pickles. Pickle-flavored everything is having a moment right now. The emoji is following the trend.

😵 Face With Bags Under Eyes

This one speaks to me on a personal level. The face with bags under eyes will show a tired, worn-out expression with visible dark circles. It is the "I did not sleep last night" emoji, and honestly, we have needed this for years.

The existing tired emoji options — 😴 (sleeping face) and 😩 (weary face) — do not quite capture the specific look of someone who is chronically exhausted. This new face fills that gap perfectly. It is the emoji for parents of newborns, graduate students at 3 AM, and anyone who has ever said "I am so tired" and meant it deeply.

I predict this will become one of the most popular emojis almost immediately. Tiredness is universal. Everyone can relate. And now there is a face for it.

🫨 Face With Squinting Eyes

The face with squinting eyes is a new expression showing a face with eyes squinted, possibly in confusion, suspicion, or trying to read something from far away.

This is one of those emojis that will find its niche quickly. "What did that text mean? 🤨" already exists with the raised eyebrow, but the squinting face captures a different nuance — more like "I am trying to figure this out" or "something does not add up here."

It could also be used literally for people who are nearsighted and cannot see without their glasses. Relatable content for anyone who has ever tried to read a menu from across the room.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Fingerprint

A fingerprint emoji is coming, and it is a genuinely interesting addition. It could represent identity, security, uniqueness, or forensic science.

I imagine this will be popular in conversations about privacy, biometrics, phone security, and identity. "Everyone leaves their fingerprint on the world" — there is a motivational caption waiting to happen.

It is also a nice symbol for individuality, since every fingerprint is unique. For a simple image, it carries a lot of potential meaning.

Other Additions

The remaining new emojis in the draft list include a few more concepts that are still being finalized. The exact designs are subject to change, but the Unicode Consortium has signaled that they want to keep the total number small and focused rather than adding dozens of emojis that nobody will use.

There are also 10 new skin-tone variations for two of the new emoji concepts. Skin-tone modifiers have been available since 2015 and allow people to customize certain emojis to match their skin tone. The new variations will extend this system to some of the new people-related emojis.

Emojis That Did NOT Make the Cut

Every year, some proposed emojis get rejected or delayed. Some notable proposals that have been submitted but not yet approved include:

If you want to propose your own emoji, you can submit a proposal through the Unicode Consortium's website. Just be prepared for a long wait — the process typically takes 1 to 2 years from proposal to approval.

The Shrinking Emoji Pipeline

You might have noticed that the number of new emojis has been getting smaller each year. In 2020, we got 117 new emojis. In 2023, it was 31. In 2025, it was around 15. And now in 2026, we are looking at just 9 new concepts.

This is intentional. The Unicode Consortium has been scaling back emoji additions because they believe the emoji set is approaching completion. Most common objects, emotions, and concepts already have emojis. The remaining proposals tend to be more niche or duplicative of existing emojis.

Some people think this is a good thing — fewer low-quality emojis means each addition is more meaningful. Others miss the days of massive emoji drops that gave everyone something new to play with. I fall somewhere in the middle. I would rather have 9 good emojis than 100 mediocre ones.

How to Get New Emojis First

If you want to use new emojis as soon as possible, here are some tips:

What This Means for the Emoji World

Emoji 18.0 is a smaller release, but the additions are thoughtful. The lighthouse fills a genuine gap. The tired face is universally relatable. The pickle is fun. The meteor adds drama. Each new emoji was chosen because it brings something new to the table, not just because someone thought it would be cool.

As the emoji set matures, I think we will see fewer "big bang" releases and more incremental updates like this one. That is probably healthy for the ecosystem. Quality over quantity.

Keep an eye out for the official Unicode 18.0 announcement in September 2026, and expect to see these emojis on your phone by late 2026 or early 2027. In the meantime, you can always browse our full emoji collection for thousands of emojis that are available right now.

Related:

All Emojis|Rare Emoji Combinations|Emoji Meanings Guide