Apple is releasing more than 100 new and redesigned emoji characters for their iOS 10 update available for iPhone and iPad users this fall. The update also “adds lovely redesigns of popular emoji, a new rainbow flag and more family options”, according to a company press release Monday.
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This isn’t the first time Apple has pushed back against emojis with violent connotations – in June, plans to release a rifle emoji were scrapped from the Unicode 9 after Apple campaigned against its inclusion.
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It was unclear whether the green water gun would completely replace the pistol emoji or if it would exist alongside it.
Apple has released the fourth beta of the iOS 10. It will also introduce new and revamped emojis that show women doing stereotypically male jobs like detective, construction worker, and police officer.
The pistol and other weapon emojis have landed people in trouble with the law.
The decision to replace the revolver emoji comes nearly a year after a campaign called #DisarmTheiPhone was launched by advocacy group, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.
To get the new emoji, download the latest operating system, iOS 10, when it’s released later this year. The change also included a range of new professions from scientist to doctor to cook, but Apple does not appear to have added these.
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It also includes updates to Siri, Maps, Photos and Apple Music, and the ability to remove Apple’s default apps from your Home screen. Last year, a 12-year-old in Virginia was charged with a felony and fined for using the pistol emoji in an Instagram post that police said was equivalent to a death threat.
