Final in Emoji 18.0, published with Unicode 18.0 on 16 September 2026. One of nine new emoji in the release, and one of three whose reference artwork was redrawn to stop vendors rendering it differently. As of 25 September 2026 no phone or computer shows it by default, but you can copy the codepoint now.
The lighthouse emoji (๐, U+1F6D9) is one of nine new emoji in Emoji 18.0, the companion release to Unicode 18.0, and both were published on 16 September 2026. Unicode 18.0's emoji data lists U+1F6D9 as "lighthouse", fully qualified. The approval itself was settled earlier: at UTC Meeting #188 on 30 July 2026 the emoji subcommittee recommended "no changes to the emoji repertoire" for Unicode 18.0, leaving all nine characters as approved, and the same meeting authorised the 16 September release. It sits in the Transport and Map Symbols block alongside the other structures and travel icons. What makes the lighthouse unusual within its own cohort is the design work done to it before release. Emoji vendors each draw their own artwork from Unicode's reference chart, and detailed reference images tend to produce wildly different results across platforms. So the subcommittee stripped the lighthouse back: the extra textures were removed specifically, in its own words, so "vendors don't have to replicate" them, leaving what it calls the "core symbolic architecture": a blueprint deliberately simple enough that Apple, Google, Samsung and the rest should land on recognisably the same tower. Publication is not the same as availability, though. Google has published its design in the Noto Color Emoji font, but as of 25 September 2026 no operating system, keyboard or system emoji font ships it. Emojipedia estimates WhatsApp, Samsung and Google Android in the first quarter of 2027, Apple around March or April 2027 and Microsoft in late summer or early fall 2027, estimates based on last year's rollout.
The Unicode 18.0 character itself. Copyable as a codepoint today; expect a blank box until your phone or computer adds Emoji 18.0 support.
Need more than this one? Browse the full set in Travel & Vacation Emojis โ
Already-encoded emoji that render everywhere today and carry a similar coastal, navigational or warning-beacon meaning.
All nine became final together on 16 September 2026. As of 25 September 2026, no phone or computer shows any of them by default.
Unicode 18.0's emoji-test.txt data file lists U+1F6D9 as "lighthouse", a fully-qualified Emoji 18.0 emoji, and the Unicode Consortium's Unicode 18.0 announcement dates the release to 16 September 2026. Emojipedia's Unicode 18.0 report covers Google's Noto Color Emoji designs and publishes the 2027 rollout estimates.
It is a new emoji at U+1F6D9, final in Emoji 18.0, the companion release to Unicode 18.0, published on 16 September 2026. It depicts a lighthouse tower and sits in the Transport and Map Symbols block. It is one of nine new emoji in the release.
It has been part of the standard since Unicode 18.0 was published on 16 September 2026, but as of 25 September 2026 no phone or computer shows it by default. Emojipedia estimates WhatsApp, Samsung and Google Android in the first quarter of 2027, Apple around March or April 2027 and Microsoft in late summer or early fall 2027, based on last year's rollout.
Because your device's emoji font does not cover the codepoint yet. Unicode 18.0 was published on 16 September 2026, but as of 25 September 2026 no operating system, keyboard or system emoji font ships Emoji 18.0, although Google has published the design in its Noto Color Emoji font. The box or placeholder glyph is the expected behaviour until your platform ships support.
Yes. It is one of three Unicode 18.0 emoji whose reference chart image was updated ahead of publication. The extra details and intricate textures were stripped away so that vendors would not have to replicate them, reducing the risk of the emoji looking very different across platforms. The stated aim was to leave a simple "core symbolic architecture" for designers to work from.
Final. At UTC Meeting #188 on 30 July 2026 the emoji subcommittee recommended no changes to the Unicode 18.0 emoji repertoire, and on 16 September 2026 Emoji 18.0 was published with all nine characters, the lighthouse among them.
There is no exact substitute. The closest existing options are Tokyo Tower for a tall coastal structure, Sailboat or Water Wave for the maritime context, and Police Car Light if you specifically mean a rotating warning beacon.
A Discord nickname stops at 32 characters, an Instagram bio at 150, a TikTok bio at 80, and X weights some characters as two. The UltraTextGen counter reads all of them at once, and counts a multi-codepoint Unicode emoji the way each platform actually bills it.
Open the character counter โEvery coastal, transport and destination emoji you can already use today.
The Unicode 18.0 emoji that won Emojipedia's public vote.
Another of the nine, and another whose chart artwork was revised.
The runner-up in the public vote, final in Emoji 18.0 the same day.