Google Just Redesigned Emojis In Android 17 – Here’s What’s Changing

Source Domain: www.bgr.com

Google hosted The Android Show: I/O Edition 2026 on Tuesday, a livestream on YouTube where the company unveiled some of the new features coming to Android 17 this year ahead of next week’s big Google I/O 2026 event. Google also announced a few major AI features coming to Android 17, including Gemini Intelligence, Gemini in Chrome support for Android, and a Rambler feature for Gboard that uses AI to turn conversational speech into a clear message. Gboard is also the home of emojis, a critical part of modern communication. But Google decided the emojis in Android 17 needed a visual refresh and unveiled an interesting redesign.

Android 17 will introduce a new emoji design language called Noto 3D. As the name implies, emojis will get a 3D upgrade. The new emojis should look better than the previous Noto versions, based on the examples Google showed during the livestream and online. Google said in a press release the 3D emojis will bring “a touch of physicality” to chats, suggesting it sees the redesign as more expressive. “It’s the difference between a message received and a presence felt,” Google explained.

The images above and below show the same set of emojis, as shared by Google, allowing users to compare the current designs (image above) to the Noto 3D upgrade (image below). You can easily notice more vibrant colors that pop in the following screenshot, as well as the depth effect thanks to the use of light and shadows.