Revamping it to make it fit today’s situation, Apple users will soon be able to use a ‘pandemic-friendly’ smiling mask emoji instead of the usual sick and tired looking mask emoji. It is expected to show up along with more than 100 new emojis debuting this fall with the iOS 14.2 release.
In 2008, the emoji face with a medical mask was added to iPhone OS and has been there for people to use when they want to convey that they’re sick or coughing though text messages. Other operating systems like Android added theirs in 2012—with the same sad and sick expressions.
It wasn’t until the pandemic that more people wanted a more fitting mask-wearing emoji. This is because wearing a mask doesn’t mean that you’re sick and unhappy anymore.
However, this change isn’t exactly new. A happier looking mask emoji was added to Samsung phones in March. The mask emojis on Facebook and Android have also changed to make them look less depressing.
According to Emojipedia, a smiling mask-wearing emoji sent from iOS 14.2 might still appear sad or sick when received on an earlier version of iOS. This might be a problem because a change of expressions can be interpreted differently based on the context of a text message.
For example, you as a iOS 14.2 user might send a text saying, “Don’t forget to (smiling mask emoji)”. You might have meant “Don’t forget to wear a mask”. A user with an older iOS might get the text with a frowning mask emoji, and they could potentially interpret the text as “Don’t forget to get sick and sad”.
Other emojis to debut with iOS 14.2 include the beaver, anatomical heart, transgender flag and the boba. The update also features new gender-inclusive options and skin tone variations.
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