Apple Emoji 2019 Update Features Inclusive Options and New Characters

The Apple emoji pack we’re so accustomed to will be updated this year with inclusiveness in mind.

? New: Apple Reveals New 2019 Emojis for #WorldEmojiDay including waffle, flamingo, sloth and more https://t.co/DU2p7XpzRa pic.twitter.com/IUpVpwn7B7

— Emojipedia ? (@Emojipedia) July 16, 2019

This comes at a poignant moment when openness and acceptance are improving in our society.

To mark World Emoji Day on July 17, Apple has announced exciting news for us living in the “emoji generation”. This fall, 59 new characters will be added into the Apple emoji pack for all its devices – which include the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.

The set will include new entries, such as a waffle and garlic in the food category, and a much-needed yawning emoji. But what’s interesting is the variety of updated options that highlight inclusiveness and diversity. The “Man and Woman Holding Hands” emoji, for example, can be personalized from 75 possible combinations of skin tone and gender. In total, the new Apple emoji set will allow for 230 skin tone options and 75 gender options. But that’s not all. You’ll also find disability-themed emoji like an ear with a hearing aid, wheelchairs, a prosthetic arm, and a prosthetic leg, among others.

Emojis have long been part of the language that we use to effectively express ourselves in this texting generation. Despite the wide variety of emojis currently available on our smart devices, personalization had until now been rather limited. With these newly announced options on its way, Apple is definitely heading in the right direction by giving users the chance to select emojis that match their identity as closely as possible.