In the past, if Samsung updated its emoji, the manufacturer included the update as part of a larger system-wide package. According to XDA Developers host and writer Max Weinbach, with the new One UI 2.0 Samsung will offer emoji updates through a simpler .APK package download, separate from the larger system update. Updating an APK is the same as updating any other app on the phone, and Google handles similar updates for its Pixel phones through the Google Play Store, making updates much easier and more frequent.

Starting in One UI 2, Samsung can update emojis without needing full system updates. pic.twitter.com/QoOVfMpxMt — Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) November 23, 2019

Any time a manufacturer or OS-maker moves a process away from the larger system and toward its own standalone package is usually a good thing for phone owners. System software updates are complicated, requiring extensive testing not only by the manufacturer but also by the carrier that manages your phone. Further, not every software feature is deemed important enough by carriers to warrant a system software update. So, while Samsung owners may have waited months longer to see emoji updates in the past, with One UI 2.0 it seems that the company will control the emoji package entirely, meaning faster updates.

It is not clear if Samsung will offer future updates through its own app store distribution or through Google Play, or some combination of both (as is often the case currently). It will also be interesting to see what other features Samsung offloads from the system package of One UI 2.0 and moves to a more flexible APK download model.