News & Events, Tech

117 new emojis are coming to your iPhone and they’re cool as hell

words by: Sahar Khraibani

Nov 12, 2020

Early in September, the Unicode Consortium put out 200 new skin tones for couples-based emojis. However, they only released 7 new graphics in that update due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic that affected everyone’s workflow. But in a lucky twist for iPhone users, the latest iOS 14.2 update is said to introduce 117 new emojis to the library. These new emojis contain everything from bubble tea to ninjas and tamales, and they promise a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to emoji expression.

Emojis have played a big role in the way we communicate on social media and via texting. It is undeniable how much gusto they add to our communication and even make some things easier to say. When Apple got criticized for not having enough diverse skin tones, they started working on a whole new set that would offer more inclusion for iPhone users.

The full list of emojis can be found on Emojipedia’s Twitter account, they released the news that new emojis would be added to the system on November 5. The new list of emojis definitely did right by representational politics: there are men and women in suits and wedding veils as well as the transgender flag and a wider selection of food such as fondue, bubble tea, tamales, peppers, stuffed olives, and pita bread. They have also created a lot of fun objects and animals including pandas, a black cat, roller skates, a boomerang, and a cheese-filled mouse trap as well as realistic illustrations of lungs and a heart, flip-flops, and a bathroom plunger. These new additions are not only fun, but they’re also very representative of the way we communicate these days. 2020 has been filled with virtual communication due to ongoing lockdowns and now our text messages can be more colorful, wittier, and perhaps possibly more insightful.

The 117 new emojis will be available with Apple’s new iOS 4.2 update and will be coming to macOS 11 today.