Google to separate emojis from system updates: Here's what that means

Google will be able to update font files containing emojis without needing to update their entire operating system, which has been the case until now.

Google hasn’t rolled out this update yet. (Pixabay)

Emojis are important. They help us to communicate with others better. They also make communication a whole lot fun. Now, word is that Google is planning to make some tweaks that would ensure that Android users get emojis faster.

XDA Developers reports that Google is planning to separate emoji updates from system updates. As of now, font files containing emojis are stored under /system/fonts directory. So refreshing them has been possible only through an over-the-air update. The system partition where these files are stored are read-only, and so they can be updated via an over-the-air system update only.

Now, the publication has spotted new commits at the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Gerrit, which suggest that the tech giant is planning to decouple font files away from needing a system update. If Google makes these changes, font files will be stored under data/fonts/files directory.

This would enable the company to update font files separately from the system update. Simply said, Google will be able to update font files containing emojis without needing to update their entire operating system, which has been the case until now. Or in other words, you will get new emojis on your Android smartphone faster.

That said, Google hasn't rolled out this update yet. And so it remains to be seen when this update is available to Android users at large.