Google’s latest Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 is here, and while it does introduce critical changes and quality of life improvements, it also brings a new array of emojis to your keyboard.
For reference, the new build introduces changes like built-in flashlight brightness adjustment, the option to remove the At a Glance widget from the home screen, a new status bar dot to indicate when an app is using your device’s location, and more.
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At the same time, the new build also introduces changes more on the light-hearted side, like support for the newly released Unicode 17.0 standard and its emojis.
For reference, Unicode 17.0 came out on September 9, introducing well over 160 new characters. The current stable version of Android 16 doesn’t support said characters and the emojis that come with it, but according to Android Authority, the latest Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 does.
Unicode 17.0 introduces only seven new emojis, but when you consider all the gender and skin tone combinations, that number swells to a massive 163 new variations.
Here are the seven new emojis (from left to right):
- Distorted Face
- Fight Cloud
- Hairy Creature
- Orca
- Landslide
- Trombone
- Treasure Chest
Additionally, there are new variants for existing emojis like Ballet Dancer, People with Bunny Ears, and People Wrestling.
You can try out the new emojis by installing Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, though beware, your friends that are still on the stable build will see nothing but empty rectangular boxes or broken sequences instead of the new emojis if you message them. For the general public, these new emojis will arrive with the stable release of the Android 16 QPR3, which is expected in March 2026.
