The availability of emoji is a bit more complicated than we’d like — the apps that you use most may not offer the same emoji as your system does. If you’re a Google Chat user, though, you might be happy to learn that you’ll soon be getting some new emoji to play around with.
The current set is being updated to Emoji 13.1, which includes 217 new characters (here are some for you: 😵💫❤️🔥💑) — introduced for Pixel phones back in December. The set ramps up the diversity and inclusion quotient by including gender-neutral, same-gender, and some stereotype-breaking emoji.
Emoji skin tone and gender preferences will be saved on an individual basis, proving handy in case you use different emoji to reference different people.
The update to Chat is already rolling out to Android users and should reach everyone in the next couple of weeks. Google is working on bringing the new emoji to the iOS app and web client, but it’s going to be a few more weeks before they’re released.
The changes will be made available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers.
