Apple's New Batch Of Emoji Include A Vaccine, Smoker And Bandaged Heart

The universal language of our digital world — emoji — is getting a fresh batch of options and a little makeover to boot. With a new update, there's of course the standard efforts to be even more inclusive, innovative new ways to communicate falling in love and breaking up, and in a very 2021 fashion, a vaccine emoji.

In inclusivity-centric news, popular lovey-dovey emoji like "Couples Kissing" and "Couples With Heart" now come in more skin tone shades than ever so that every couple can have their fun sending romantic texts. If that wasn't enough, the woman emoji can now also be customized with a full mustache and beard.

The most exciting new offers are in the classic smiley faces, which now include an exhaling face, a face with spiral eyes, and a face in clouds. They're perfect for capturing the intense feelings of malaise that come with a seemingly never-ending pandemic, or for your next bender. The choice is yours. Speaking of malaise, we must include her sister: anguish. The new emoji now includes a bandaged, healing heart as well as a heart fully set aflame. By what exactly? You'll think of something.

Apple also refreshed existing emoji, like adding a helmet to the rock and tweaking the generic headphones to look more like the Airpods Max. (You think there'll be free advertising of non-Apple products on your phone? Think again!) Lastly, following the path of the gun emoji, the syringe spilling over with blood has been neutralized to look like a clear, beneficial liquid. At least it'll make texting about the botched vaccine rollout a little more playful.

The update is part of iOS 14.5 and will be available for use come spring.