SoftBank

Japan's mobile operator SoftBank, formerly known as J-Phone, had its own unique set of emojis that was in use from 1997 until 2016. This set played a significant role in shaping the modern visual language of emojis and had a noticeable influence on the original emoji set developed by Apple. At the same time, Apple's original emojis were made compatible with SoftBank's set, since the iPhone was initially launched exclusively on SoftBank's network in Japan.

In 2016, SoftBank announced that it would switch to using Google's emojis for devices running Android 7.0 and later versions of the OS. From that point onward, SoftBank stopped releasing updates for its own emoji set and fully adopted Google's standardized emojis. This move reflected a trend towards unification and standardization of emojis across the mobile industry, making it easier to share messages between different devices and platforms.

Despite its relatively small size compared to modern sets, this emoji collection played a key historical role in the development of emojis and digital communication, particularly in Japan and on the international market, thanks to its collaboration with Apple.

Emojis from SoftBank 2014 are displayed below.

Count: 750