Emoji design convergence review, 2018–2026  blog.emojipedia.org

If emojis are a new language, divergent representations can render meaning lost in translation between platforms. In 2018, Emojipedia hypothesized that different emoji vendors would converge their designs. The prediction came true with Apple as the benchmark. Why?

Apple is widely regarded as the “default” emoji design set in the West. This status dates back to 2008, when Apple introduced emoji support on the iPhone years before emoji were formally incorporated into Unicode in 2010.

[…]

Market realities for over a decade have also reinforced this influence. Apple continues to command a dominant share of the mobile phone market in the United States.

A reminder that big tech companies also shape much of our lives in the details.

The article is filled with examples of convergence, controversies (remember the bright green water pistol?), and a new wave of disruptions to the semantic unity of emojis (the culprit starts with “x” and ends with “x”), all richly illustrated.