Cracking Face and Pickle Emojis Arrive in Unicode 18

Unicode has unveiled nine new emoji set to join the Unicode 18 standard in fall 2026, though most iPhone and Android users will likely not see them widely until 2027.

The lineup, presented ahead of World Emoji Day on July 17 by Jennifer Daniel, chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, includes:

• cracking face
• meteorite
• monarch butterfly
• lighthouse
• eraser
• net
• pickle
• thumbs left
• thumbs right

The most eye-catching addition is the cracking face, shown with a strained smile. It is meant to capture the feeling of holding it together on the outside while everything is falling apart internally.

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The meteorite has a darker tone. It is described as a sign of impending disaster, though the source notes that it looks a bit like a flaming meatball. The monarch butterfly was added for a more practical reason: Unicode has long faced inconsistency in how butterfly emoji appear across platforms, and this symbol is meant to reduce some of that confusion.

The rest of the set is simpler, but these are often the symbols that spread fastest in chats. The lighthouse and net could become useful for memes and reactions, the eraser works as a visual “take that back,” and the pickle seems likely to find a home in jokes.

There is one catch: Unicode approves the symbols and their meanings, but it does not design the final artwork for every device. Apple, Google, Samsung, and other companies create their own versions, so the same emoji can look noticeably different across smartphones. After the standard ships in the fall, vendors usually add new emoji in major OS updates, which often pushes broad availability into the next calendar year.