At “The Android Show: I/O Edition”, Google announced that Android 17 will introduce a brand-new emoji design language called “Noto 3D”. This replaces the flat-style “Noto Color Emoji” design used since Android 11 in 2020, incorporating 3D effects, lighting rendering, and brighter color palettes. All around 4,000 icons have been redrawn by hand. Google describes this overhaul as an upgrade aimed at giving chats “a sense of real presence”, adding that the new icons “have never seemed so lively”. The updated emojis will first roll out to Pixel phones later this year, followed by the official Android 17 release expected in June or July; no timeline has been set for other Android devices yet. To date, Google’s Android emoji designs have gone through five major visual phases: early black-and-white icons, the much-loved “blobby” style in the mid-2010s, a shaded gradient version in 2017, and the flat Noto style since 2020 — with Noto 3D marking the fifth major evolution.
This week, roughly 250 new icons leaked ahead of schedule, covering categories like smiley faces, animals, and food; visually, they closely resemble the emoji styles seen on iPhones and Samsung’s One UI. Reactions among users have been mixed: supporters argue the redesign finally narrows the visual gap between Android and iOS, while critics claim the 3D approach erodes Android’s signature flat aesthetic, making it “look just like every other platform”. Today, Android Police commented that while the 3D overhaul is technically more polished, losing those flat-style emojis is precisely one of the reasons many users prefer Android in the first place.