iPhone 5 units. (Photo : Reuters)
A new batch of emojis was featured in the recently launched iOS 8.3. Although the update fixed bugs and improved the device’s performance, its redesigned racially diverse emoji keyboard made it stand out from the other OS updates that have been recently released.
Instead of having only one skin color for emoji faces and hands, Apple users can now make use of various skin colors that represent different races from all over the world, according to CNET.
“These characters were based on the six tones of the Fitzpatrick scale, a recognized standard for dermatology,” as written in the proposal from the Unicode Consortium, which is the organization that is responsible for normalizing computer language, including emojis and emoticons. “The exact shades may vary between implementations.”
The keyboard features a “skin tone modifier” that works on all symbols that are applicable to humans.
Although the proposal for racially diverse icons was submitted last November, it was only on February that they became available to developers for beta testing, according to the report. This new emoji keyboard features 300 more adorable symbols that can Apple users can use in order to communicate with others instead of having to use words.
However, in order for everyone to fully enjoy the now-popular racially diverse emojis, Fortune has reported that they have to be sent to people who have also updated their Apple device. Otherwise, the emoji will look like an alien’s head placed inside a box, which, in turn, was also not among the original emojis.
A screenshot of what it would look like has been provided by Fueled.
