iPhone 2.2 Includes Hidden Japanese Emoji Icons

[MacRumors]

The latest iPhone 2.2 firmware has one hidden feature that should please Japanese iPhone customers: the inclusion of 461 emoji characters.

Emoji are picture characters that are very popular in the Japanese mobile market. One analyst even specifically cited the lack Emoji support as one of the factors contributing to slow sales in the Japan market:

"The iPhone is a difficult phone to use for the Japanese market because there are so many features it doesn't have," says Eimei Yokota, an analyst with MM Research. He said one small but must-have feature that is often cited as a deficiency in the iPhone is the lack of "emoji," clip art that can be inserted in sentences to jazz up emails.

While the latest iPhone 2.2 firmware contains the emoticons, they are not user accessible at this time. The above screenshot was generated by calling the unpublished API. The images are located in a single artwork file in the UIKit.framework.

The clock icon on the left gives you access to your recent emoji, while the other icons give you access to differently themed emoji.



Article Link

[Rojo]

I HOPE it's not just for Japanese-language users. I want emoji too now!

[Mr. Giver '94]

This is sooooo cool!!! But I'm not sure that my friends without iPhones will be able to see the emoji icons in text messages.

[born4sky]

just give me 10 pushups ))) Ill be happy

[Jona7]

forget about simple functions like cut copy and paste...forget about the ability to forward text messages to other people..nah..thats not important..emojis more important..little freakin emoticons...great move apple......

[crayonshin]

Finally! Email has been so plain and boring since I switched to the iPhone. This is great news for us here in Japan. Hope 2.2 comes out soon with emoji active and accessible.

[mrrydogg]

Originally Posted by Jona7

forget about simple functions like cut copy and paste...forget about the ability to forward text messages to other people..nah..thats not important..emojis more important..little freakin emoticons...great move apple......

Asia is a huge market, sounds like a great business move.

[overanalyzer]

Originally Posted by Mr. Giver '94

This is sooooo cool!!! But I'm not sure that my friends without iPhones will be able to see the emoji icons in text messages.

This seems like it would be intended for e-mail. I'm not sure you can embed images like this in an SMS, though they could do the typical IM client thing of sending a text equivalent like with emoticons and then iPhones showing the clipart instead. But that doesn't seem practical for more than the basic icons...ASCII trains, planes and ferris wheels seems a bit much.

[antzzz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this kind of feature in text messaging signal the usage of MMS? Because obviously it isn't a simple 'text' file.

[razorianfly]

Absolutely stellar.

I too hope this is not just for Japanese-language users!

Apple can design well, we all know that, but looking at some of those icons, they're pretty sweet.

Also, looks like Arn and the gang have 2.2!

Go on Arn, you can spill for us little guys

R-Fly

[Ninja Dom]

Originally Posted by antzzz

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this kind of feature in text messaging signal the usage of MMS? Because obviously it isn't a simple 'text' file.

The article states that this is in the Email section. Not sure if it's part of the text message section.

[Ademius]

Wow. Is that the big feature 2.2 is going to get us? Come on, give us the stuff that matters. Any of these would be great to have:

• MMS
• A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth)
• Video recording
• Copy, cut & paste
• Or something else actually useful

At least I hope we get APNS..

[plumbingandtech]

Hey! Us americans could use that too!

Here's hoping!

[batchtaster]

Oh great. If this gets enabled for non-JP users, I can look forward to the emails I receive having more s#!t in them than they already do.

[breadbox9]

That is good news.
Two reasons for this.
1. It shows that Apple will give Japanese people emoji.
2. that it probably shows that apple care about this and they might give support for reading emojis of the other operators as well (if I receive any emoji from 1 of the competitor, the mail become gibberish and I have to check it through my gmail account to read it)

[sammich]

Originally Posted by antzzz

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this kind of feature in text messaging signal the usage of MMS? Because obviously it isn't a simple 'text' file.

It's like when you reply here if you put ':' + 'D' = '' you get the big smilie. As long the destination device knows to change it to the little icon instead of the text it can be sent over plain text SMS.

My old SE k750 did this when people sent me text emoticons (but this is probably transcends simple text though lol).

[mackerman93]

Coming february 2009
free for iPhone, $10 for iPod touch with 2.x, $20 with 1.x

[thed0000d]

WOW Seriously, Apple you are really ignorant ppl right now. You put that on the iphone but you wont make SMS and Mail use the Accelerometer to turn them into landscape mode to help people actually read there messages. I mean come on really, you guys put it on the calculator..... You know from a person that is carrying about 2500 shares of AAPL, you would think you would listen to me and the other that share the same common interest.

ADD THE Accelerometer to the SMS and MAIL!!!!!!!! If you want to make someones life easier than start with that. Thanks

From a Share holders thoughts to your hands apple.

Brian

[RHDJapan]

I just hope they will be able to be displayed on other phones. If not this will most likely not do much for sales here in japan. The phone was recently reviewed on the news and it sounded like they were not recommending the phone because of this reason as well as some other features that the phone lacks.

Hopefully we will see some more revamps to the phone so Apple can start selling these things here.

[arn]

apparently the count is 461 icons. (corrected article)

arn

[raggedjimmi]

Originally Posted by Rojo

I HOPE it's not just for Japanese-language users. I want emoji too now!

You and me both!

[iVoid]

Originally Posted by RHDJapan

I just hope they will be able to be displayed on other phones. If not this will most likely not do much for sales here in japan. The phone was recently reviewed on the news and it sounded like they were not recommending the phone because of this reason as well as some other features that the phone lacks.

I believe the emoji's in Japan aren't sent as graphics, they are just extended ASCII codes of some kind. So the phone sends (ID=2222) and the receiving phone just takes that code and displays the appropriate icon. So it might look a little different based on the phone's capabilities, but the basic shape/meaning of the icon will be the same.

So Japanese phones should be able to handle displaying the icons. This might also allow SMS texts to work with these as well.

[MacOldTimer!]

They put off Push to add little icons for 1 market.

Apple, get your damn priorities straight and give us a stable phone.

I hope the trade articleS RIP you a new one and your stock tanks even further for this type of irresponsibility!

You have many phones that Feature for Feature match or better the iPhone and you're putting stupid icons in for the Japanese market.

What's next Russian Vodka icons to support the launch there?

FIX THE CORE OPERATING SYSTEM, SAFARI AND MAKE THE APPS RUN WITHOUT CRASHING.

QUIT PUTTING OFF THE RELEASE OF BACKGROUND PUSH AND PUTTING OUT RIDICULOUS BLATANT TARGET MARKETING TO GAIN MORE MARKET SHARE.

FIX THE MARKET SHARE YOU ALREADY HAVE, I'M SICK OF THE BS BEING PUSHED OUT BY APPLE RELEASE AFTER USELESS RELEASE.

[Jona7]

Originally Posted by MacOldTimer!

They put off Push to add little icons for 1 market.

Apple, get your damn priorities straight and give us a stable phone.

I hope the trade articleS RIP you a new one and your stock tanks even further for this type of irresponsibility!

You have many phones that Feature for Feature match or better the iPhone and you're putting stupid icons in for the Japanese market.

What's next Russian Vodka icons to support the launch there?

FIX THE CORE OPERATING SYSTEM, SAFARI AND MAKE THE APPS RUN WITHOUT CRASHING.

QUIT PUTTING OFF THE RELEASE OF BACKGROUND PUSH AND PUTTING OUT RIDICULOUS BLATANT TARGET MARKETING TO GAIN MORE MARKET SHARE.

FIX THE MARKET SHARE YOU ALREADY HAVE, I'M SICK OF THE BS BEING PUSHED OUT BY APPLE RELEASE AFTER USELESS RELEASE.

i couldn't agree less...it seems little emoji icons are of higher priority than the simplest phone functions..copy and paste...forwarding text messages..etc....complete nonsense

[Jona7]

Originally Posted by mrrydogg

Asia is a huge market, sounds like a great business move.

great business move!? a great business move would be to put all the other simple functions that it lacks! i'm sure they'll sell more...