Google Pixel phones are getting new emoji designs that look more like the iPhone

Google has just released a new testing version of its software, called Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, for Pixel phone users. Along with several technical fixes, this update includes a fresh look for many of the emojis we use every day. While Google usually adds brand-new emojis every year, this specific update focuses on changing the appearance of the ones we already have.

The biggest change in this update is that Google’s emojis now look much more like the ones you find on Apple’s iPhone. In the past, Google’s designs were often more playful or exaggerated. Now, the company is making them look simpler and more standard. For example, the “Cold Face” emoji used to have little bits of snow on top of its head, but that has been removed to make it look cleaner. The “Loudly Crying Face” also had its mouth size changed to match the style used by Apple and Samsung.

Other popular emojis have been tweaked too. The “Melting Face” and the “Face Exhaling” look a bit different now, and even animals and objects got a makeover. The raccoon looks more realistic, the flashlight has a new design, and the bacon emoji now shows two strips instead of just one. Many other items, like the zebra and the tropical fish, have also been updated with these minor but noticeable changes.

By making these changes, Google is helping to make sure that when you send an emoji to a friend who has a different kind of phone, it looks almost the same on their screen as it does on yours. While we are still waiting for completely new emojis—like the orca or the trombone—to arrive later, these design updates are available right now for people testing the newest version of Android on their Pixel devices.