The day is finally here! The long-awaited ginger emojis are available on the new iOS update.
The representation of gingers in emoji form has been spoken about for some time, but Apple has now released its public beta previews of the latest iOS update, iOS 12.1, which features the red-headed, yellow-faced little people in all their glory.
The update will be available across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, and there’s more than just gingers being represented in the new icons.
iOS 12.1 will bring with it 70 new emojis, meaning you’ll be able to express your feelings about things like kangaroos, lobsters, llamas, skateboards and frisbees purely in pictures.
There’s even a salt shaker emoji being added to the collection, which will no doubt be the perfect way to indicate if someone’s being salty from now on.
The latest additions to the emoji family will also feature people who are bald, have grey hair or have curly hair, so no matter what your hair style, there’ll likely be an emoji for you.
The developer beta of iOS 12.1 was released by Apple yesterday (October 2), though the company has not yet revealed when the update will be available across their range of devices.
Apple’s website explains more about the new emojis:
Emoji are used by people all over the world to communicate. iOS 12.1 brings even more characters to the keyboard that better represent global users, including new emoji for moon cake, red gift envelope and nazar amulet.
Sports fans will celebrate the addition of new emoji for softball, frisbee and lacrosse, while outdoor adventurers will enjoy new characters for luggage, compass and a hiking boot to accompany the existing climbing emoji.
Soon we won’t even have a need for words, we’ll all be able to communicate in tiny pictures. There goes my job.
Speaking to The Sun last year, YouTuber CopperCab spoke about the importance of adding ginger emojis to the collection:
I STRONGLY feel it’s important that minority groups such as gingers are represented via emojis, because emojis are quite literally the fastest growing language in human history, and it’s being used globally.
No matter where you’re from, or where you’re going… You’re guaranteed to come across emojis… and everyone understands them.
Everybody deserves an emoji, and I’m BEYOND HAPPY that the tech companies have FINALLY made the right decision, by providing us with ginger emojis.
A lot of people are happy about the new additions to the keyboard, but it seems like gingers are the most excited about their long-awaited representation.
One redhead excitedly wrote:
APPLE FINALLY RELEASING A GINGER EMOJI YOOOOO IT’S OUR TIME
For another, the new emojis are everything they’ve been waiting for:
there’s finally a ginger emoji.
my life is complete.
Another person did what they could with images while they wait for the ginger emoji to be released across all devices:
I have a feeling redheads are going to be taking full advantage of their new emojis and bombarding their friends and family with the little faces.
I think they deserve to revel in the recognition after all this time!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.