Who said emojis were just a passing fad? In 2025, the universe of tiny pictograms keeps expanding, and this year has arrived packed with irresistible news for lovers of visual communication. From distorted faces that capture our existential discomfort to orcas and furry creatures taken from a retro video game, the new emojis are here to revolutionize our WhatsApp messages and Discord chats!
An expressive 2025: what’s coming in Unicode 17.0
This autumn, the Unicode Consortium will release a new batch of emojis as part of its 17.0 update, a collection that will be officially added to the global digital catalog across iOS, Android and other platforms. Among the most anticipated is the distorted face emoji, which, according to Keith Broni, editor-in-chief of Emojipedia, has been the most voted by users around the world. And what does it represent? That raw, mentally awkward moment when you don’t know whether to laugh, cry or disappear into a cloud of social embarrassment. Pure viral content.
Alongside that deformed face, a whole orchestra of new symbols will also arrive: orca, trombone, ballet choreographers, a battle cloud and even a bizarre Sasquatch. Yes, like the one from myths, but straight to your virtual keyboard. Can you imagine a conversation where you use a ballet choreography to say you’re overwhelmed? Well, get ready, because anything is possible with these new visual resources.
Platforms get ahead: Apple, Samsung and WhatsApp have already updated
Not everyone wanted to wait until autumn. Apple included in March a small batch of eight emojis via iOS 18.4, while Samsung did the same from April with its One UI 7. Among the most talked-about are the face with dark circles (which has been a real post-pandemic sensation), an undefined splash — perfect for expressing chaos — a leafless tree, a plant fossil, a harp and even a new flag (the Sark one!). And yes, WhatsApp joined the party by rolling out all these emojis in its app since January.
In the emoji world, updates are continuous and each platform renews its catalog with slight aesthetic differences, though the meaning tends to be the same. A wink that recalls the eternal dilemma of web browsers: just as CSS can look different in Firefox and Safari, your favorite emoji can have a different vibe on Telegram or on your Xiaomi.
Emojipedia, kings of meaning and AI creativity
But if among so many new icons you feel lost, don’t worry. That’s what Emojipedia is for, the definitive encyclopedia of emojis. Not only do they explain what that symbol that looks like an eggplant means — yes, we know you use it for other purposes too — but they detail in which context it is most common, which other emojis pair well with it and how its design has evolved over time.
And for the most creative, the best part arrives: Emojipedia also offers an AI-powered emoji generator. Imagine typing ‘a robot wearing sunglasses playing the guitar’ and boom! There you have your custom emoji, ready to download as a sticker. Although there’s a limit of three generations per day (freemium style), it’s a feature that has won over the most digital design geeks. There’s also a mashup bot that mixes existing emojis into crazy combinations à la Pokémon combos.
And what has been the most celebrated emoji of 2025? During World Emoji Day, held on July 17, awards were given to the year’s most outstanding icons. The big winner was the aforementioned face with dark circles, crowned as Most Popular Emoji and Emoji of 2025. Meanwhile, the charismatic melting face emoji 🫠 earned the honor of being the youngest to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In short, emojis keep evolving and, like the processors of M3 chips or the innovations of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold family, each new version pushes our digital conversations to another level. After all, who needs words when you can tell your life with a sequence of 💻🍕🔥😭✨?
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