Android is finally making its emoji look like people

We still don’t know Android N’s eventual food-related name, but we are slowly learning more about its extensive feature set.

In the second Developer Preview issued to a variety of Nexus devices today, Google announced that with N it will support Emoji Unicode 9 standard, which includes a number of new pictorials. Google also plans support for skin tone variations, a feature that iOS users have been enjoying for some time.

But perhaps the most interesting change is that Google is moving away from its often-reviled cartoon emoji in favor of a “more human-looking design,” according to a post on the company’s developer blog.

The Unicode Consortium, the organization that decides on which emoji will be added to each release, plans to make Unicode 9.0 available sometime in June 2016, well before Android N becomes publicly available. New glyphs include “Face Palm,” “Bacon,” and “Mother Christmas,” though not every character will likely be included in the Android N update.

Google already added a host of new emojj with Android 6.0.1 back in December, but as with any new Android release, only a small percentage of users have received it. Of course, some manufacturers override Google’s own emoji design. Samsung in particular has its own unique set of emoji, and it’s unclear whether Google’s changes in N will have any impact on how the company approaches its pictorials in the future.

Android N Developer Preview

The Android N Developer Preview is just that — a developer preview. It is not intended for daily use. That doesn’t mean it’s not cool, and that you shouldn’t poke around. But know that things will break. Tread carefully. (And have fun!)

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