The new characters are part of the Emoji 12.0 standard from the Unicode Consortium. All these are decided by the industry at large, so that iPhone owners aren’t using a completely different set of emoji than those on Android, or vice versa. The emoji keyboard on Apple‘s iOS 13.2 beta has been updated to include “diverse” emojis, with different family combinations, disability-themed images and a bigger variety of skin tones. Meaning that people will now be able to pick faces with different skin tones, following criticism that the previous keyboard didn’t have enough diversity. Emoji families will also now come with the option of two mums and two dads. There are around 300 new emojis, which includes the new Apple Watch and more country flags. Although most of the new emojis were announced a few months back, this final update is set to include 59 new characters. However, when gender and skin tone variations are considered, that number jumps to 230. One of the most notable additions is the variety of skin tones holding hands which is something that has been requested for a long time. The developers that ensure emojis are rendered and read by software correctly, Unicode Consortium, had previously said that people all over the world “want to have emoji that reflect more human diversity, especially for skin tone”. Though these diverse options aren’t displayed on the main keyboard. Just like before, users should hold down on their chosen emoji, where they will then see the option of five other skin tones. Another notable emoji includes a yawning face. This is definitely a great alternative to the face with ‘zzz’s coming out of it for when you want to tell someone in no uncertain terms that they’re boring you to death. A little pinching hand will also be included, however, it most certainly doesn’t look like a hand ready to pinch someone or something, it also looks a hell of a lot like the symbol for when you want to say something is small. A sarcastic Twitter user went ahead and posted: “Damn, now girls can make fun of my small **** with this new pinching hand emoji.” Apart from the inclusive couple options, many new accessibility-focused additions can also be found among the group, including ear with a hearing aid, mechanical arm/leg, a person in a wheelchair, guide dog and more. Wildlife additions include a sloth, skunk and flamingo, all reasonably popular animals depending on where you come from. When it comes to food, you’ll now have garlic, waffle, falafel, butter and an ice cube to cook up a colourful message with. There are also two new clothing emoji: the safety vest and one-piece swimsuit (an alternative to the existing bikini emoji). Other things included are an axe (for some unknown reason), a yo-yo and a sloth. However, an official release date for iOS 13.2 hasn’t been announced yet, but you can view the full list of upcoming emojis on Emojipedia‘s website in the meantime. Some of the emojis may still change slightly in appearance before the public release of iOS 13.2.
