Question 1

Why do emojis look different on my phone compared to my computer?

Accepted Answer

Emojis are processed as standardized text codes, not as image files. When you use an emoji picker to copy a "Grinning Face," you are copying a mathematical code point. Your phone and your computer each have their own proprietary font files (designed by Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc.) that dictate how that specific code point should be drawn. Therefore, while the underlying code is identical, the visual interpretation depends entirely on the operating system rendering it.

Question 2

How are new emojis added to the picker?

Accepted Answer

New emojis are not created by the developers of the picker; they are approved and standardized by the Unicode Consortium. Anyone can submit a proposal for a new emoji to the Consortium, provided they meet strict criteria regarding expected usage and historical significance. Once approved, the Consortium assigns a new code point and publishes it in an annual update. Developers of emoji browsers then update their databases to include these new code points, and OS manufacturers update their fonts to draw them.

Question 3

What is a Zero Width Joiner (ZWJ) and how does the picker use it?

Accepted Answer

A Zero Width Joiner is an invisible Unicode character used to glue multiple emojis together to form a new, single image. For example, a "Family" emoji is actually created by an emoji picker placing a ZWJ between the "Man," "Woman," and "Child" emojis. The browser handles this complex string generation in the background, allowing the user to simply click one visual icon while the software copies the entire hidden sequence to the clipboard.

Question 4

Why do some emojis show up as a blank box or a question mark?

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon, often referred to as "Tofu," occurs when the device or application you are using does not have a font file updated to include the specific emoji you pasted. If you use a web browser to copy a brand-new emoji released in 2024 and paste it into a phone from 2018, the older phone's operating system does not know how to draw the new code point, resulting in a placeholder box.

Question 5

Can I create my own custom emojis using a browser?

Accepted Answer

Within the strict confines of standard Unicode text, you cannot create entirely new emojis, as every character must be globally standardized by the Unicode Consortium to work across all devices. However, many application-specific pickers (like those in Discord or Slack) allow you to upload custom image files that function as emojis within that specific platform. These custom graphics will not work if copied and pasted outside of their native application.

Question 6

How do skin tone modifiers work technically?

Accepted Answer

Skin tone modifiers are based on the Fitzpatrick scale and are implemented as standalone Unicode code points that do not display an image on their own. When an emoji picker applies a skin tone, it places the modifier's code point immediately after a base human emoji code point. The computer's rendering engine reads the base emoji, sees the modifier immediately following it, and combines them to draw the human figure with the specified skin color.

Question 7

Why does my database crash when I paste emojis into it?

Accepted Answer

Most older databases, particularly MySQL, default to a character encoding called utf8, which only supports up to three bytes per character. The vast majority of emojis require four bytes of data to be stored correctly. When you attempt to paste a four-byte emoji into a three-byte database column, it causes an overflow or truncation error. To fix this, developers must ensure their database tables and connections are configured to use utf8mb4 encoding.

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