Voice assistants read emoji as words, not sounds

When a voice assistant reads a message aloud, it doesn't skip emoji — it converts each one into its official Unicode name and speaks that instead, which is why a heart might come out as 'red heart' rather than being silently skipped.

Why this can sound odd

A casual message like 'dinner tonight? 🍕😊' can be read aloud as 'dinner tonight, question mark, pizza, slightly smiling face,' which sounds far more formal and literal than the message looked on screen.

Differences between assistants

Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa all generally follow this same approach of announcing an emoji's name, though the exact wording and how many emoji in a row they'll read before summarizing can vary slightly between them.

What this means for how you write

If a message is likely to be read aloud by a voice assistant — for example, while someone is driving — leading with the actual words and using emoji sparingly at the end keeps the message clear whether it's read or heard.