iOS 10 Emoji Update: Female Weightlifter, Basketball Player, Surfer For Gender-Equality?

iOS 10 emoji has been updated recently to include variations of redesigned icons and a handful of emoji to better represent the smartphone-using population. Apple puts a lot of thought and care in the new set of emoji characters as it focuses on diversity in families and gender plus the latest epidemic of gun violence.

Apple announced that more than 100 new and redesigned emoji icons will be released to iPhone and iPad users with iOS 10 this fall. They further discussed that the exciting update will add more gender options to existing characters, including new female athletes and professionals. The update will also bring beautiful redesigns of popular emojis, a new rainbow flag and more family options, Beta News reported.

Prior to the iOS 10 emoji update, Apple's sports related emoji and a majority of its occupational emoji show only men performing such activities, which does not jibe at all with reality. Now, female options are available that shows weightlifting, basketball and surfing. A new job-related emoji for female construction workers and private investigators are also added. Apple also introduced two male iOS emoji options for previously female-only emoji, including a haircut and scalp massage emoji.

Apple is working with the Unicode Consortium, the organization that oversees the inclusion of new emoji. This move is to ensure that emoji characters will reflect the diversity of people everywhere, Apple Newsroom reported.

In the iOS 10 emoji set, the old revolver gun icon was replaced by a water gun instead. Some second amendment advocates may see this as an attack, but there is no need for violence with emojis especially with all of the shootings in the news lately. A rainbow flag and two different gender options that depict families with single parents are also included.

iOS 10 emoji update reflects how Apple has gone forward on its own to include variations of their redesigned icons and a handful of new emoji in their iOS 10 platform. It has been reported that Google was the first to submit a new set of 13 female emojis to the Unicode Consortium, back in May. Unicode, of which Apple and Google are both members, has adopted most of the proposed icons since last month.