SOS Button

🆘 is the sos button emoji, part of Unicode's Symbols group, added in Emoji 0.6 (2010). Unicode's keyword list links it with “help”.

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Where alphanum emoji usually appear

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Applies to every emoji in this Unicode subgroup, not only this one.

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Technical details

Source: Unicode Consortium

Unicode name: SQUARED SOS
CLDR short name: SOS button
Codepoint: U+1F198
Hex: 1F198
Emoji version: 0.6
Unicode version: 6.0
First released: 2010
Unicode group: Symbols
Unicode subgroup: alphanum
Status: Recommended for General Interchange (RGI)

Data verified 2026-10-21 · Unicode Emoji 16.0 · How this data is built

GitHub shortcode

From GitHub's own emoji list (gemoji). Slack, Discord and other apps keep separate lists, so a code may differ there.

:sos:

Keywords

Source: Unicode CLDR

button · help · SOS

How it looks

Fluent Color

Fluent Flat

Your device

Rendered from open-licensed emoji sets. Your device shows its own design. Microsoft Fluent Emoji (MIT)

Download as image

Renders 🆘 with your system emoji font into PNG, WebP, or SVG. Pick a pixel size, then download.

Note: PNG and WebP use the emoji font installed on your device (Apple Color Emoji on macOS/iOS, Segoe UI Emoji on Windows, Noto Color Emoji on Android/Linux), so the look matches your platform. SVG embeds the character as text — rendering depends on the viewer.

Microsoft Fluent UI Emoji — original artwork

Download Microsoft's official Fluent rendering of 🆘. SVG files are vector (scales to any size); the 3D PNG is 256×256.

Questions people ask

What does the 🆘 sos button emoji mean?: 🆘 is the sos button emoji, part of Unicode's Symbols group, added in Emoji 0.6 (2010). Unicode's keyword list links it with “help”.
What is the Unicode codepoint for 🆘?: U+1F198, named SQUARED SOS in the Unicode Standard.
When was the 🆘 sos button emoji released?: It was added in Emoji 0.6, published in 2010, alongside Unicode 6.0. Phones and computers show it once their system software supports that version; older devices may show an empty box instead.
How do I type 🆘 on my phone or computer?: On iPhone or Android, open the emoji keyboard and search for “sos button”. On Windows, press Windows key + . (full stop); on a Mac, press Control + Command + Space, then search for the same word. You can also copy 🆘 from this page with one click.
What is the shortcode for 🆘?: On GitHub, type :sos: and it turns into 🆘 — that code comes from GitHub's own emoji list. Slack, Discord and other apps keep their own shortcode lists; many codes match GitHub's, but check the app's emoji picker to be sure.