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A bunch of great new emoji hit Android next week, but you can’t have them

Updated Dec 3rd, 2015 12:26PM EST
New Android Emoji

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Emoji may have been popularized in the United States by iPhone users, but Android fans have wholeheartedly embraced the trend. People young and old use these expressive little graphics to communicate, because sometimes a dancing girl emoji is worth a thousand words. Well, if you’re an Android user, we have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that a whole bunch of new emoji are set to hit the Android platform beginning next week. The bad news is you won’t be able to use any of them.

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Google’s Nexus devices are terrific for Android fans looking for the purest available software experience, but they make up a microscopic portion of the Android market. Next week, they will be the only devices with access to the new wave of emoji set to wash over Android.

Google’s SVP of Android Hiroshi Lockheimer announced on Twitter Thursday morning that the new emoji will arrive next week as part of an update to Android’s keyboard and fonts. While the update will be made available to Google’s Android vendor partners at the same time, it could be several months — or even longer — before any non-Google devices receive the update.

When asked when the new emoji might arrive on non-Nexus devices, Lockheimer gave the only response he could. “OEMs decide their own update schedules,” he said.

As for which new emoji will be added in the update, all we’ve seen so far are a unicorn, a lion and a crab.

UPDATE: Here’s a look at all the emoji coming in next week’s update.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.