What you need to know
- Google's new Android 17 emojis add a 3D depth effect, replacing the flatter look from older Android versions.
- A new leak reveals around 250 redesigned emojis, including new faces, animals, food, and drink icons.
- Google is expected to roll out the new Noto 3D emojis first to Pixel phones later this year.
A new massive leak has given us our first proper look at the new 3D emojis coming with the Android 17 update later this year.
At The Android Show last week, one 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 uninspiring compared to the ones 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're designed to better express emotion and make "presence felt." At the Android Show, Google only teased a handful of emojis, but a new leak has now revealed a much larger collection.
The leak was shared by RKBDI in a post on X, showcasing around 250 redesigned emojis. The images include new emoji faces along with animals, food items, drinks, and more. As you can see from the leaked images, the new emojis definitely have more depth and a more 3D-like appearance than before, although it still isn't a complete redesign from the ground up.
Google hasn't started rolling out or testing these emojis on Android 17 beta devices just yet, but we expect them to appear fairly soon in future beta updates. If you're on the stable version of Android, though, these redesigned emojis will likely arrive first on Pixel phones later this year, probably around the Pixel 11 launch window.
Android Central's Take
Honestly, I was hoping for 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 still carrying traces of Google's older Android emojis. They're definitely an improvement, but not quite on the same level as what Apple currently offers.
