【War Archives】

Want to use that new selfie emoji?War Archives How about the facepalm or avocado? If you're on Android, or texting someone who is, there's a good chance those new characters aren't working.

That's because Google, like Apple, ties emoji updates to its new software releases: update to the latest version of Android, get the newest emoji. It sounds straightforward enough, but there's one glaring problem that's been a major handicap for Google for years.

SEE ALSO: The ultimate guide to the 104 new emoji in iOS 10.2

Unlike Apple, which controls both its hardware and its software, Google relies on dozens of manufacturing partners to create the bulk of its handsets (Google's Nexus and Pixel devices excepted). Those partners also control when their customers get new software and, unfortunately for Google, have a pretty piss-poor record of getting these updates out in a timely manner.

That's why Google's Android Nougat update, which rolled out in August, is currently installed on less than 1 percent of all Android devices. Those dismal numbers are alarming for a number of reasons, but are especially bad news for emoji fans. They mean most Android users will have to wait months, or even a year, to get the same emoji as their iPhone-wielding peers.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Worse yet, when someone with the new characters sends them to you, all you'll see is a series of blank boxes. Given how much we've come to rely on emoji in everyday conversation, it can be a big hurdle when one side doesn't have the same characters as the other.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"A phone that can't see the 12+ months of new emojis is crippled as a communication device," Jeremy Burge wrote on the Emojipedia blog Wednesday.

This issue of not-so-timely updates, also known as fragmentation, is nothing new. It's plagued Android for years. In fact, it's gotten so bad, Google was reportedly considering a plan that would publicly "shame" manufacturers who didn't release updates fast enough.

Unfortunately, manufacturers have so far given little indication that they are willing to adopt faster upgrade cycles.

But it's not all bad news for emoji lovers. As Burge points out, app developers have stepped in to fill in the gaps by adding support for new emoji releases independently of the OS updates. That's why you can find new emoji on Twitter, Whatsapp, Messenger, Slack, Snapchat and Telegram before you'll see them anywhere else.

Just don't hold your breath to see them on your phone's native messaging app.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Signs you're reading too much into instant messages with emoji

---

Topics Android Google

• Deals
• Entertainment
• Science
• Games
• Tech
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Life

• Pairing CPUs and GPUs: PC Upgrades and Bottlenecking
• Miles Teller apologizes to the internet for his terrifying bleached hair
• 21st Century Fox settles Roger Ailes lawsuit for $20 million
• Which social network is right for my business presence?
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve Connections #237
• 21st Century Fox settles Roger Ailes lawsuit for $20 million
• Martin Shkreli ordered to pay his 'League of Legends' team's coach $25,000
• Neymar and Brazil do half
• Elon Musk makes request to Reddit CEO to take down posts he didn't like
• 11 dip dye bridal gowns that will give you #weddingenvy

• The Morning News Roundup for October 1, 2014
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for August 31, 2023
• Amusing Myself: An Interview with Bob Neuwirth by Gary Lippman
• The Morning News Roundup for September 30, 2014
• How to change language on Facebook
• X faces millions in fees over unpaid severance for former Twitter employees
• Louisa May Alcott’s Definition of Admiration
• How to monitor your breathing rate with Apple Watch
• Letter from a Retreat by Amie Barrodale
• How to optimize your Instagram profile for search

• 'Severance' Season 3 gets confirmed by Apple
• Neymar and Brazil do half
• Every iPhone 7 rumor, ranked from most to least likely
• Even Trump seemed to defend Obama after the president of the Philippines insulted him
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• Amazon adds food delivery in London
• Thank you for ending the war between Kim Kardashian and Chloë Grace Moretz, Hillary Clinton
• Uber and Lyft expand their push into rides for senior citizens
• Philips now allows customers to 3D print replacement parts
• Uber and Lyft expand their push into rides for senior citizens

• DDR4 Memory at 4000 MT/s, Does It Make a Difference?
• Thank you for ending the war between Kim Kardashian and Chloë Grace Moretz, Hillary Clinton
• Delta launches Snapchat account with a Los Angeles scavenger hunt
• Girl instantly regrets putting on that charcoal face peel
• Gmail search just got a lot smarter, thanks to AI
• Snapchat's rumored augmented glasses could be one step closer to reality
• Latest victims of a Photoshop battle are bored millennials at state fair
• Bow down to Aurora, fluffy cat princess and IRL Snapchat filter
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 7, 2025
• 5 questions we have before Sony's big PlayStation event