An open padlock that basically screams “access granted.” On Apple/iOS, it’s a glossy brass lock with a silver U-shaped shackle popped to the right, black keyhole centered, and a slight 3D shine—like a tiny trophy for figuring out the password. It’s the visual equivalent of a door clicking open, whether that’s a literal front door or the metaphorical gates of your DMs.
People drop this when something becomes available: paywalls drop, features go live, or a secret finally spills. It pairs perfectly with the key emoji for flirty or heartfelt lines like “you unlocked my heart,” and it’s meme-friendly for gamer-style quips like “Achievement Unlocked: Got Out of Bed.” In group chats, it can mean “I’m home, door’s unlocked—come through,” or “my boundaries are open, I’m trusting you… don’t make me regret it.” It also works sarcastically—“Great security, guys, we’re totally unlocked”—when someone posts the Wi‑Fi password on a billboard or the spreadsheet with everyone’s logins lands in the wrong chat.
You’ll see it during launches, early access drops, escape-room victory pics, or after successfully guessing the world’s most obvious PIN. It’s a quick shorthand for freedom, relief, and “we made it past the gate,” whether that gate was tech support, a subscription wall, or your own overthinking brain.
Definition
The brass colored lock is in the unlocked position. iEmoji old name: Unlocked Icon.
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Emoji History The emoji code/ image log of changes.
This emoji was part of the proprietary / non-standardized emoji set first introduced by Japanese carriers like Softbank. These emojis became part of the Apple iPhone starting in iOS 2.2 as an unlockable feature on handsets sold in English speaking countries.
In iOS 5 / OSX 10.7, the underlying code that the Apple OS generates for this emoji was changed.
