Google has just shipped the second developer preview of Android 16, and it delivers a whole host of new developer features.
Android 16 DP2 includes an updated emoji font file with 7 new emoji that are part of Unicode 16.0.
Every so often, the Unicode Consortium adds new emoji to the Unicode standard, which are released alongside other updates to the standard.
Unicode 16.0, for example, adds support for the following 7 emoji, as highlighted by Emojipedia: Face with Bags Under Eyes Fingerprint Leafless Tree Root Vegetable Harp Shovel Splatter If you try to view that Emojipedia page and your device doesn’t support Unicode 16.0, all you’ll see are empty boxes instead of emoji.
This is the case on my Pixel 9 Pro running Android 16 DP2, but it’s not the case on my Pixel 7 Pro running Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2.
The second developer preview of Android 16 was recently released by Google, and it offers a ton of new developer features. However, as far as we can tell, there don’t seem to be many new changes in DP2 that users can see. While exploring the update, we did discover one interesting new feature, though: support for the seven new Unicode 16.0 emoji.
The updated emoji font file for Android 16 DP2 contains seven new emoji that are part of Unicode 16.0. For those who do not know, Unicode is the universal text encoding standard that gives each character, symbol, and script used in written communication a unique number. It enables computers to comprehend and display text in almost any language, even those running different operating systems. The Unicode standard also codifies emoji, such as the upside-down smile and melting face, allowing them to be shared across devices with different operating systems or browsers.
New emoji are occasionally added to the Unicode standard by the Unicode Consortium and released with other standard updates. For instance, Unicode 16.0 adds support for the seven emoji listed below, as noted by Emojipedia.
A face with bags beneath the eyes.
Fingerprint.
No leaves.
Root vegetable.
Harp.
Shovel.
Splashy.
You will see empty boxes in place of emoji if you attempt to view that Emojipedia page and your device does not support Unicode 16.0. On the other hand, if you can see emoji, your device is compatible with the most recent emoji. On my Pixel 9 Pro running Android 16 DP2, this is the case; however, on my Pixel 7 Pro running Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2, it is not.
