After cranking out a new batch of emoticons for the new iOS 15.4, which contains an image of a pregnant guy, the Apple emoji factory ruffled some feathers online.
These progressive emoticons did not sit well with some social media critics.
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Three new gender-bending emojis, a pregnant guy, a gender-neutral pregnant person, and one sporting a crown, seemed to be the most polarising addition. The move is part of the emoji company’s ongoing attempts to make digital conversation more inclusive, which includes the introduction of nonbinary emoticons and other smileys.
“Among the 838 new characters in #Unicode14 are 37 new #emoji, along with new emoji sequences, that are expected to show up (on platforms) sometime next year,” last September, the Unicode Consortium, which is in charge of creating new emojis, teased on Twitter.
Many on Twitter, however, thought the latest progressive emojis went too far, accusing the cartoon symbol developers of going too far.
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“How can a man be pregnant?” one critic asked, while another said, “Tell me it isn’t so that they are making a pregnant man emoji with this new update… we have failed as a civilization.”
“The new pregnant man emoji was submitted by the twitter gay porn mafia i just know it,” scoffed another.
A melting face, a face with a peeking eye, a face with a diagonal mouth, a dotted line face, and a naughty lip-biting depiction are among the new expressive symbols, according to Emojipedia, whose authors have characterised as excellent for conveying “flirtation or arousal,” according to the Sun. Seven brand-new hand gestures and 25 multicultural handshake symbols are also available, spanning the colour gamut from white to black and a wide range of hues in between.
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The new operating system is still in testing, but according to MacRumors, the final version will include a staggering 37 emojis.
The IOS 15.4 update includes more than just emojis. Face ID can also be used while wearing a mask, as the beta recognises “the unique features around the eye area to authenticate.”
According to Emojipedia, these modifications will be available to the public when iOS 15.4 is released somewhere in the spring.
This isn’t the first time Apple’s emoji factory has sparked controversy with gender-neutral icons. With the iOS 14.2 beta release in 2020, Apple debuted a sexually ambiguous Santa Claus emoji, infuriating conservative opponents who accused the company of perpetuating the so-called “war on Christmas.”