May 19 (UPI) — Google announced Thursday it will replace its oft-criticized “blob emojis” with traditional round faces used on other mobile devices and email platforms.
Unlike the ubiquitous round emojis displayed on Apple and Android operating systems, Google’s version looked like a cross between melted lemon drops and the yellow ghost in Pac Man. The blobs, as they came to be called, are seen on all Google platforms, including Gmail, Google+ and during Google Hangouts.
Not only are the shapes different, but users often complained the icons were so small it was difficult to tell what emotion someone was trying to convey — making it difficult, for example, to tell the difference between the crying emoji and the laugh/crying emoji.
Executives said the change was necessary not just because of aesthetics. As emojis become an increasingly common tool for sharing emotions, the difference between Google blobs and other emoji platforms was causing communications breakdowns for users.
Google said its new version of emojis will be released later this year, timed with the forthcoming new Android operating system.
