Zero-Width Joiners: The Tech Behind Custom Yellow Handshake Emojis

This article delves into how to leverage Zero-Width Joiner (ZWJ) technology to create custom yellow handshake emojis. The author provides a detailed breakdown of Unicode code point structure, demonstrating how to decompose and recombine emojis using JavaScript to bypass Apple’s restrictions on emoji combinations. The piece explains the relationship between skin tone modifiers and the Fitzpatrick scale, and shows how to create custom emoji combinations that can’t be directly generated through Apple’s keyboard. While these custom emojis can’t be displayed as large single messages on iOS/macOS, this technique offers developers a new perspective for exploring the boundaries of character encoding. For tech enthusiasts interested in character encoding, emoji implementation, and overcoming system limitations, this article provides valuable knowledge and technical examples.