From smiley faces to aubergines, emoji are are now a staple feature in many people’s day-to-day messages.
Now, Apple has released 398 new emoji as part of its iOS 13.2 update - including some rather unusual characters.
One of the key updates is to the emoji featuring two people holding hands, in which users can now select different skin tones as well as the gender for each person.
The update also expands gender neutral representation across the board, with gender neutral options for hair types, such as redheads or curly hair, as well as professions.
Food-lovers will be happy to hear that eight new ingredients have been added, including garlic, falafels, an ice cube and a carton of apple juice.
Meanwhile, eight new animals have also been added, including two new dogs, an orang-utan, an otter, sloth, flamingo, skunk and oyster.
One of the most notable additions is a drop of blood, which has been added to represent menstruation.
Plan International UK’s Chief Executive, Rose Caldwell, said: “We are thrilled to see the arrival of this long-awaited blood drop emoji, which signals a real breakthrough in the fight against period stigma.
“Girls, women and other menstruators told us this emoji would help them talk more freely about their periods, which is why we campaigned so hard to make it a reality.”
To see the new emoji for yourself, make sure you’ve updated your iPhone to iOS 13.2.
It remains unclear when the new emoji will be released for Android.
