Show them how you really feel.
Eight new emojis are expected to hit smartphones soon, and they’re already popular among users who say that the inclusion of an emoticon with under-eye bags makes them “feel so seen,” per the Daily Mail.
The Unicode Standard, the official emoticon standard maintained by the Unicode Consortium that is responsible for creating new emojis, announced the new icons this week, which will include a face with under-eye bags, a fingerprint, a purple splat symbol, a turnip, a leafless tree, a harp, a shovel and the official flag of Sark, an island in the English Channel.
“Unicode Version 16.0 has been released!” the Unicode Consortium posted on X. “Bringing the total number of characters to 154,998.”
On social media, users celebrated the inclusion of the emoji with dark under-eye circles and a bored or grim expression.
“Representation is important. thank you unicode team,” one person wrote on X.
“The perfect response for every interaction on slack no matter what,” agreed another.
“Finally an emoji that reflects my permanent mood,” quipped someone else.
Version 16 of the Unicode Standard actually added 5,185 characters into the lexicon, including new scripts.
The last time new emojis were added to the vast character index was last September, according to CNET, and the iOS 17.4 update for iPhones brought those emojis to users’ fingertips.
Some of the most popular emojis, of which there are more than 3,700 according to the outlet, are the most straight-forward: a red heart, the green check mark, the fire symbol, the crying face and sparkles.
On World Emoji Day this year — July 17 — a report revealed the emoticons most likely to become extinct, such as the “OK” hand emoji, which ranked as the most unpopular worldwide. In the US, the winking face with its tongue sticking out was the least used.
While there are a vast number of emojis available to use on your smartphone, those who aren’t satisfied with the options — or believe there should be more — can submit a proposal for a new symbol. In the meantime, Emojipedia also offers a mash-up bot that combines emoticons to make custom iterations, while Apple unveiled plans to launch Genmoji that utilizes AI to create custom emojis.
