Apple rolling out gender-neutral Santa emoji | Inquirer Technology

Apple rolling out gender-neutral Santa emoji

/ 04:57 PM October 03, 2020

Santa Claus

Gender-neutral Santa emoji. Image: courtesy of Emojipedia via AFP Relaxnews

Christmas has come early at Apple. The American firm has unveiled a fresh selection of emojis rolling out to Apple users in the coming weeks.

New arrivals include a gender-neutral Santa, landing just in time for the holiday season. In the meantime, a beta version is already available for developers and a first look has been shared on Twitter.

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This non-binary emoji, approved by the Unicode Consortium, will roll out with the iOS 14.2 update due in October.

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Dubbed “Mx Claus,” the emoji represents a gender-inclusive alternative to “Father Christmas” or “Mrs. Christmas” with its non-binary appearance. The beard has been ditched but the glasses and red-and-white hat synonymous with “Santa Claus” remain.

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Apple appears to be continuing its drive for digital diversity with this latest slew of emojis, which also includes the transgender flag and other inclusive, non-binary additions, such as wedding veil and tuxedo-wearing options, plus a family of caregivers bottle-feeding a baby. Apple has also added an emoji showing two people hugging, as if virtually transcending the social distancing rules of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Unicode Consortium approved 117 new emojis earlier this year with the aim of offering a more inclusive selection of options in tune with today’s society. The emojis will be available on Google, Twitter and Facebook. IB

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TOPICS: Apple, Christmas, Emoji, Gender Equality, genders, Santa Claus
TAGS: Apple, Christmas, Emoji, Gender Equality, genders, Santa Claus

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