Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Apple previews 'holding hands,' other emoji updates planned for this fall

Using World Emoji Day as the excuse, Apple on Tuesday previewed some of the emoji it will be adding to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS in supporting Unicode 12.0.

One "major" update will be to the "holding hands" emoji, Apple said. People will be able to mix and match any combination of gender and skin color to represent different relationships, whether straight or gay.

Following up on earlier Apple proposals, Unicode 12.0 will also include more emoji for the disabled, such as a guide dog and prosthetic limbs.

Unicode 12.0

Some other additions include a waffle, a falafel, butter, and garlic in terms of food, and new animals such as a flamingo, orangutan, skunk, and three-toed sloth. In all, Apple's Unicode set will include 59 new designs.

Unicode 12.0

Apple promised the new emoji in free software updates this fall, presumably referring to iOS 13, iPadOS 13, watchOS 6, and macOS Catalina. In theory though the characters could be reserved for subsequent point releases.

Watch the Latest from AppleInsider TV

23 Comments

mobird 21 Years · 758 comments

Getting the popcorn ready in 3,2,1...

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
entropys 14 Years · 4400 comments

There must be a PhD in how this came about.

EsquireCats 9 Years · 1268 comments

Loving all of the diversity and inclusion but like most of the emoji's currently available there are a lot of emojis that I do not personally use and would like a way to tidy up the emoji selection screen. (Even though I fit into one of those new emojis.)

So I think it would be great if I could create a new keyboard of just the picto's I use, or highlight/rearrange the existing panel (or simply hide the unused ones.)

E.g. Astrological signs, sad/sick/dying emoji faces, various flags of the world/animals/symbols, moon phases, sports and grandfathered japanese icons. I have no use for these and they're just clutter to me. 

Also, in before someone says it, no the new symbols aren't breaking emoji or making it too difficult to choose - emoji was never concise to begin with.

3 Likes · 0 Dislikes
mknelson 10 Years · 1161 comments

Loving all of the diversity and inclusion but like most of the emoji's currently available there are a lot of emojis that I personally use and would like a way to tidy up the emoji selection screen. (Even though I fit into one of those new emojis.)

So I think it would be great if I could create a new keyboard of just the picto's I use, or highlight/rearrange the existing panel (or simply hide the unused ones.)

True, it would be nice to be able to have a full emoji keyboard and a reduced one (beyond the recents) where you could disable options you would never use.

Fax. pfffft!  :s

1 Like · 0 Dislikes
techno 21 Years · 737 comments

Am I the only person that does not give a f#@k about emojis?

8 Likes · 0 Dislikes