On Apple/iOS, this emoji is a steel-blue mailbox on a wooden post, door tipped open to reveal a crisp white envelope, with a bright red side flag standing proud. The angle is a three-quarters front view, so you can spot the curved door and the tiny hinge—pure cul-de-sac chic. It’s ideal for old-school pen-pal vibes, an AOL “You’ve got mail” throwback, or announcing that your literal or metaphorical inbox is ready. People also use it playfully—flirty (“send me your heart”), memey (“snail mail speed, but make it deluxe”), or as a clean visual for “new drop live now.”
In the real world, that raised flag signals outgoing mail for the carrier; online, it doubles as a suburban-styled stand-in for “message sent/read.” Folks deploy it to mean “I mailed it,” “you’ve got mail,” or “my inbox is open—send takes, resumes, or love letters.”
It shows up in posts for shipping confirmations, newsletter drops, contest submissions, and those “applications are open” moments. Used with a wink, it can also broadcast “still waiting…”—box wide open, flag up—while your DMs collect tumbleweeds.
Definition
An open mailbox with visible letter inside. This particular mailbox has the flag up, which means there is outgoing mail in need of pickup by the postal worker.
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Emoji History The emoji code/ image log of changes.
This emoji first appeared in OSX / iOS after the iOS 5 update.
