telephone
Unicode: 260E FE0F
Description
A classic black telephone receiver icon, often depicted with a curly cord or a solid silhouette. The FE0F is a variation selector that ensures it's rendered as an emoji.
Group:
Objects > phone
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Neutral, functional. Primarily associated with communication, calls, and contact.
Backstory
The telephone symbol itself is a very old icon, representing the device invented by Alexander Graham Bell. This specific emoji, 260E, represents the 'Black Telephone' character and was included in Unicode 1.1 (1993). The FE0F (variation selector-16) was added later to ensure it displays as an emoji rather than a simple text character in platforms that support it.
Usage Examples
- Contact us: 'For more information, please call this number 📞'
- Indicating a phone call: 'I'll give you a 📞 later.'
- Customer service: 'Need help? Give us a 📞!'
- Remind someone to call: 'Don't forget to 📞 your mom.'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Ubiquitous symbol for 'call us,' 'phone number,' or 'contact.' Used for formal and informal communication initiation.
East Asian culture:
Similar usage, often seen in business contexts or for direct contact information.