Apple Tweaks Mask-Wearing Emoji To Look Friendlier In The COVID-19 Era
Screenshot via iPhone
2020 has ushered ground-up changes even with the slightest things, like the popularity of the mask-wearing emoji which used to be mainly a symbol for people in the healthcare industry. With a pandemic happening right now, the lesser-used emoticon is suddenly taking over screens as donning face coverings becomes the norm.
To encourage the health safety practice, Apple has overhauled its version of the ‘Face with Medical Mask’ emoji to shed negative connotations of mask-wearing during the COVID-19 crisis, Emojipedia reports, resulting in a more gleeful-looking icon.
In place of downturned eyes, the graphic now features a cheerful face with blushing cheeks à la the ‘Smiling Face’ emoji.
Image via Emojipedia
While emoji designers are supposed to follow international guidelines set by the Unicode Consortium, it turns out that Apple isn’t breaking any rules by giving the emoticon a smile. The description for the ‘Face with Medical Mask’ emoji doesn’t include facial expressions, so vendors generally made it look sick prior to the pandemic.
The redesign currently only exists in the beta version of iOS 14.2. If Apple decides to stick with this design, it should be included alongside a number of gender-inclusive and nonbinary emojis in the public iOS 14.2 release, which is set to be ready between late October and early November 2020.
Image via Emojipedia
Image via Emojipedia
[via LADbible, images via various sources]
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