With WWDC about a month away, you’re going to read a lot of stories about how the latest features in iOS 18 are copies of something Google or Samsung already have in Android. But we’re willing to bet that the latest feature Google is bringing to Android users will never appear after an iPhone update.
As spotted by 9to5Google, Google is calling the new feature Emoji Audio, and as the name suggests, the feature adds sounds to popular emoji so people can hear what they would normally watch. If you reread this sentence with a questioning look, you are not alone. This is a very stupid feature. The emojis included are:
- Face with tears of joy
- Applaud
- Table bomb
- Crying face
- pile of shit
- Drum
When selected during a call, they will play the following corresponding sounds: laughter, applause, party cheers, sad trombone, farting, and a ba-dum-tiss percussion sting. That’s right: you can now add a fart sound during a call on your Pixel or Galaxy phone.
Here’s how it works. During an active phone call, users will see a new Audio Emoji button that displays all six options when pressed. Select one and the person you’re talking to will hear the sound on the other end, and you’ll see a short animation as if you were texting someone and sending an emoji as a reaction. 9to5Google has a video showing off all six Audio Emojis and they’re as stunning as you’d expect.
Google says this feature will allow users to “express their emotions and moods during a call,” but that seems like the kind of feature no one will ever use. I might be able to see Audio Emoji in a text message, but on a call? I don’t know who thought this was a good idea, but I can’t imagine it’s a feature that will stick around for very long.
And I can guarantee that Apple will never try to imitate it on an iPhone.
