Google Just Redesigned Emojis In Android 17 – Here's What's Changing

Google hosted The Android Show: I/O Edition 2026 on Tuesday, a livestream on YouTube where the company unveiled some of the new features coming to Android 17 this year ahead of next week's big Google I/O 2026 event. Google also announced a few major AI features coming to Android 17, including Gemini Intelligence, Gemini in Chrome support for Android, and a Rambler feature for Gboard that uses AI to turn conversational speech into a clear message. Gboard is also the home of emojis, a critical part of modern communication. But Google decided the emojis in Android 17 needed a visual refresh and unveiled an interesting redesign.

Android 17 will introduce a new emoji design language called Noto 3D. As the name implies, emojis will get a 3D upgrade. The new emojis should look better than the previous Noto versions, based on the examples Google showed during the livestream and online. Google said in a press release the 3D emojis will bring "a touch of physicality" to chats, suggesting it sees the redesign as more expressive. "It's the difference between a message received and a presence felt," Google explained.

The images above and below show the same set of emojis, as shared by Google, allowing users to compare the current designs (image above) to the Noto 3D upgrade (image below). You can easily notice more vibrant colors that pop in the following screenshot, as well as the depth effect thanks to the use of light and shadows. 

Google said that it has refined nearly 4,000 emojis by hand "to be richer, more delightful, and more true to how you can actually express yourself." However, Android users will have to wait use them. Google said during the event the new emojis are coming later this year, starting with Pixel devices. That suggests Google will roll out the new design once the first stable version of Android 17 is released. The software should be available later this summer.

It's likely the Pixel 11 series, also expected this summer, will support the new emojis, as well as several older Pixel generations that will get the Android 17 update. Other vendors may support the new Google emojis inside specific Google apps. The company did say that the Gboard keyboard app, YouTube, and Gmail will support the Noto 3D emojis. However, some vendors may have their own emoji designs for new and existing smartphones. Also, non-Pixel devices won't get the Android 17 update as the same time as Pixels. That means some Android users will have to wait longer for the Android 17 upgrade and the Noto 3D emojis.

Finally, when the Noto 3D emoji set rolls out, it may introduce several new emojis. The Emoji 17.0 set, which should roll out in early September, will contain 163 new emojis when accounting for all possible skin tone and gender combinations.