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In Beta Release, Apple Introduces New, Racially Diverse Emojis

The new emojis on Apple's operating system are racially diverse and they also feature a diverse group of families.
courtesy of 9to5mac
The new emojis on Apple's operating system are racially diverse and they also feature a diverse group of families.

In a new beta version of its operating system, Apple has introduced new, racially diverse emojis.

The website 9to5mac shared some screen shots with its readers. Here is one of them:

The site reports that, now, all the human-looking emojis come in many shades.

Of course, this all comes after the group that sets technical standards changed its mind about skin tones. As we reported, the Unicode Consortium announced back in November that it was going to allow more variety.

It explained:

Of course, not everyone is happy with Apple's new emojis. Gizmodo asks if the yellow-toned emoji are racist or jaundiced.

But they eventually conclude:

Copyright 2026 NPR

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.