What it actually takes to add an emoji
Two years, a 12-page document, and a committee of strangers in a hotel ballroom. A look at the path from idea to keyboard.
The myth of the suggestion box
People love to ask why their favorite missing symbol isn't on the keyboard yet. The honest answer is that someone has to write a proposal — and almost nobody does.
The proposal itself
The standard template runs to roughly a dozen pages. You need usage projections, evidence of demand across multiple media, a discussion of distinctiveness, and a justification for why an existing emoji or a ZWJ sequence wouldn't do the same job.
- Usage data from at least two large platforms
- Search-trend graphs covering a multi-year window
- Mock images at multiple sizes, including the dreaded 18 by 18 grid
- A category recommendation and sort-order suggestion
The committee
Once the proposal is submitted, it enters a queue. The subcommittee meets several times a year and works through candidates in batches. Approval is rarely a single vote — most successful proposals go through at least one round of revisions before being recommended.
