The blogosphere is lit up over the the release of Apple’s iOS 8.3 update. In addition to improving the overall user experience for iPhone users, the update introduces a newly diverse emoji keyboard and bug fixes from previous downloads. Users are now able to access about 300 new emojis that range in character, shapes, food items and countries. One of the most anticipated features of the updated keyboard is the addition of skin tones to human characters.
Each human like emoji (with the exception to the original smiley faces) allows users to choose between six skin types in a drop down menu.
All of the previously white emoji characters have been changed to a generic smiley face yellow.
With broadened ideas of diversity, new characters on the keyboard also include same sex families and couples. New emojis are only viewable to users who have also downloaded the update.
Read more at CNN.
This post was written by Gianna Smith, editorial assistant for the Burton Wire. She is a Junior in the Mass Media Arts department at Clark Atlanta University. Follow her on Twitter @ShaunRose_
