San Francisco: Apple will replace the controversial pistol emoji with a green water gun in the next version of its iPhone and iPad operating system, iOS 10.
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Also, there will be more options to the family section, so single parent emojis will soon be available and a new rainbow flag joining the flag department. For example, most emojis will be receiving gender variations, such as female athletes. It will be one of many changes to the catalog for iOS 10.
Apple is dumping an emoji that depicts a realistic-looking revolver and replacing it with a brightly coloured toy water pistol. Earlier this year the governing body in charge of emojis nixed a proposed rifle emoji. And it’s not just women who will benefit, Apple are introducing a male option for the haircut and scalp massage emoji.
Emoji on Apple products are designed by the Unicode consortium.
The redesign of the gun emoji has come as a welcome move for groups such as New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, which spearheaded the #DisarmTheIphone movement calling for the removal of the emoji.
The [handgun] and other weapon emojis have landed people in trouble with the law.
And one teen was arrested for posting a police emoji with pistol emoticons pointing at its head. Changing the emoji to a different non-lethal gun won’t change much.
Money reported on the revolutionary stance which is sure to solve the intractable problem of gun violence… or make a statement about how guns aren’t fun cartoons or something. “They’re not even going to call it a water gun, they’re going to call it a gun”.
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Apple users can download the beta iOS software ahead of its official launch in September.
