What you need to know
- Google’s new Android 17 emojis add a 3D depth effect, replacing the flatter look of previous versions of Android.
- A new leak reveals around 250 redesigned emojis, including new face, animal, food and drink icons.
- Google is expected to launch the new 3D Noto emojis first on Pixel phones later this year.
A massive new leak has given us our first proper look at the new 3D emojis coming with the Android 17 update later this year.
In Last week’s Android ShowOne of the smaller but surprisingly important announcements was Google’s redesigned emojis for Android 17. For years, people have complained that Android emojis feel flat and boring compared to those on iPhones, and it finally looks like Google is trying to address that.
Google announced that Android 17 will introduce new 3D emojis called Noto 3D. These new emojis feature more depth and dimension, and Google says they are designed to better express emotions and make “presence felt.” At the Android Show, Google only showed off a handful of emojis, but a new leak has now revealed a much larger collection.
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The leak was shared by RKBDI in a post on Xwhich shows around 250 redesigned emojis. Images include new emoji faces along with animals, food, drinks and more. As you can see from the leaked images, the new emojis definitely have more depth and a more 3D look than before, although it’s still not a complete redesign from the ground up.
Google has not yet started rolling out or testing these emojis on beta devices running Android 17, but we expect them to appear fairly soon in future beta updates. However, if you have the stable version of Android, these redesigned emojis will likely arrive first on Pixel phones later this year, probably around Pixel 11 home window.
Android Central’s opinion
Honestly, I was expecting a much more radical redesign, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening with Android 17. These leaked emojis actually remind me a lot of Samsung’s emoji style while also having traces of Google’s older Android emojis. They are definitely an improvement, but not on the same level as what Apple currently offers.
