Life

The Emoji On iOS 10 Are Unlike Any You've Seen

by Kaitlyn Wylde

Apple announced at a live press conference Sept. 7 that it is launching iOS 10 on Sept. 13, and you can bet your bottom dollar there are some funky and fun new features in the new update. As you scroll around next week, you might be wondering: why do the emojis on iOS 10 look different? Well, they look different because they are different! Unicode has made them bigger! They've made them better! They've made them more diverse! And they're a lot more fun now, too. Oh, and the iOS 10 system will now always give you the option to replace emoji friendly words for their emoji counterpart. You know, in case you want the person on the other end to have to use their imagination a little bit to understand what it is that you're saying to them. Just when we thought emojis were as good as they can get, they got better.

With each Unicode emoji update, there's some kind of mission. The most noted update in the past was the one where they added more skin tones and more diverse relationship statuses, making it more accessible for more people to personally identify with the characters. Now, in this latest update, Unicode is focused on broadening the gender spectrum, especially in the workplace. There are female cops, astronauts, chefs, factor workers, athletes, and more. Sixteen new professions in total, all available in male and female. These changes will continue to roll out over the course of the next few months. But as for what you have ready for you today, you'll notice a few subtle, yet improved changes in your emoji keyboard.

Size & Definition

There's a subtle clarity improvement in these new faces. They're all a bit larger when they send, and have a multidimensional appearance. There's a bit of shading and definition that makes them look just a little more high tech than the last update. There's something undeniably fresh about them.

Fresh Faces

You'll notice your homegirl and homeboy look a bit more like people you know and less like Sims. Their hair is flowing, they have cheekbones, they're sassy. The updates in their appearances makes them much more expressive and fun to use.

Modern Family

Finally, more family dynamics are represented in the emoji space. Here, you have adults without kids, single mothers, single fathers, and with gay and straight options for each. Granted, there are so many more dynamics yet to be animated, but for now, this is a significant improvement.

Boys Can Dance, Too

Yes, gender equality goes both ways. Boys can do all the things girls do. This new Unicode update creates some more room for men to express themselves. They can get their hair did, too.

Run Like A Girl

Gender equality has made its way to the sports page. For each sport, both men and women can be chosen to represent. And no, her weight isn't any lighter than his!

A Much Needed Change

We're all sick of guns. Emojis are supposed to be fun and playful. There's nothing fun or playful about a gun. That's why it's been swapped out for a bright green water gun. Because that's fun. Oh, and one more update that's everything you dreamed of: the gay pride flag, in all its rainbow glory!

Enjoy your new emoji, friends!

Images: Kaitlyn Wylde/Bustle