ALERT ALERT ALERT iOS 26.4 beta 4 brings us what we have ALL been waiting for: A Trombone Emoji!
Approved in Unicode 17.0, the glyph U+1FA8A finally appears with this beta.
Here's one as an actual Unicode glyph:
Now, that may or may not look like an actual trombone to you, depending on what version of what you are running.. It looks like this - this is an image, not an actual emoji though; it's how iOS renders it. Different vendors have the option of drawing it how they like.
The Trombone emoji is a pretty good story. You have to make a detailed pitch to the Emoji subcommittee of the Unicode consortium about why a particular emoji should be added, and then they vote on it. Many are rejected. But a group of high schoolers from Aberdeen High School in Maryland submitted a successful pitch in 2019 and it's finally here.
Their pitch: https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2024/24256-trombone-emoji.pdf
Thank you, kids.
And finally, here are 76 trombones.
With 110 cornets right behind. Technically, trumpets. We've had the trumpet emoji since Unicode 6 in 2010. At last, justice for the lower brass section has arrived.
🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺
There really should be one for every standard orchestral instrument. No tuba, alas.
Steve Hayman 🇨🇦🇬🇱
Owen Mathews