Apple and Google preview new emoji to mark World Emoji Day

Apple and Google have offered a first look at some of the new emoji designs they will add to their ecosystem later this year to mark World Emoji Day.

Among the new images released by Apple was its design for the new bubble tea, pinched fingers and dodo emoji.

The new designs were first confirmed at the start of the year by the Unicode Consortium, the independent body which oversees the creation of emoji.

The consortium approves basic designs for new icons each year, but individual companies including Apple, Google, Samsung and Twitter can then create their own stylised versions of the emoji for use within their own ecosystems.

Apple also revealed a number of updates coming to its Memoji – emoji users can base on themselves.

The tech giant said it was revamping facial and muscle structure to make Memoji more expressive, while also adding a range of new hairstyles and headwear.

Users will also be able to add a face covering to their Memoji, reflecting real life as they become mandatory in some settings to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.