It’s official, with today’s release of the iOS 16.4 developer beta, we’re getting our first look at the next batch of emojis coming to our iPhones thanks to Emojipedia. The new set of emojis were originally revealed during the concept phase last year and not much has changed since then – except that the shaking head is now slanted when it wasn’t before.
Of course, these designs could still change before the final release of iOS 16.4 (and iPadOS 16.4) ships to consumers in the coming weeks. And it wouldn’t be surprising if the designs were tweaked, Emojipedia notes, as it’s happened before with emojis like the peach, the troll, and the bagel.
Image Credits: Emojipedia
But with the developer beta, we have a pretty reliable idea of what’s to come, following Unicode’s certification of the next version of emjoi in September 2022, Emoji 15.0.
Among the highlights are the long-awaited variations on the heart emoji, including the much-requested pink heart, plus versions in blue and gray. There are also two new pushing hand gestures for both the left and right hands that can be used as a “stop” or together for a high five.
However, one of the more interesting additions is a shaking face emoji that will likely be used by texters as “I’m shocked.”
Further additions include animals such as a donkey, moose, goose, jellyfish, and a wing that perhaps matches the animals, but can also be used in other more metaphorical ways to express flying.
Other new emojis include categories such as food and drink, activity, objects, and symbols and include a hyacinth, pod, ginger, folding hand fan, hair pick, whistle, maracas, and Khanda and wireless symbols.
While these emojis represent what they will look like on Apple devices, Emoji 15.0 will roll out to all supported platforms sometime in early 2023.
Now, if you want to play with the emoji, you’ll need to download the iOS 16.4 beta 1 release, which is available through the Apple Developer Program. The final public release is expected sometime in March or April 2023.