The End of an Era: Docomo's Custom Emoji Set is Retiring

Japanese mobile carrier Docomo announced it will end support for its unique emoji designs by late June 2025. This marks the end of a significant emoji era that began in 1999, even though the set hasn't been updated since 2013. While surprisingly still in use on specific Japanese devices, Docomo's 698 emoji designs will be replaced by Google's Noto Color Emoji or Samsung's custom set, depending on the device. Docomo's early foray into symbolic communication, dating back to a simple heart icon on its 1995 pager, foreshadowed the emoji revolution. The company's 1999 i-mode emoji set played a foundational role in emoji standardization.