Mango lovers, ultimate frisbee players, and redheads—the days of not being able to express yourself in emoji form are over. With iOS 12.1, Apple is adding over 70 new emojis to increase the range of make text-speak.
The new emojis will be fully accessible after upcoming software updates for iOs, macOS, and watchOS, although they are already available in developer and public beta previews of iOS 12.1. In a press release, Apple said that it is adding “more characters to the keyboard that better represent global users.” The new emoji for mooncakes and the red gift envelope associated with Chinese New Year are examples. In addition to adding more global foods, Apple also introduced some traditional American fare, such as cupcakes and bagels. (Although the bagel looks more like a donut and doesn’t quite exude New York breakfast goodness.)
Some new animal options, such as the lobster and kangaroo, previewed on World Emoji Day. Now there is a bigger buzz about one critter in particular: the mosquito. The Smithsonian pointed out that having the world’s most dangerous creature in emoji form might help streamline public health messages or make it easier to spread awareness of mosquito-borne diseases. (On any given day, about 60 million emojis are used on Facebook and 5 billion In the Facebook Messenger app.)
The emoji world is likely to expand further and—we hope—become more inclusive. For next year, Apple has proposed a series of emojis that represent those who are vision, motor, or hearing impaired.