Apple pushed out the iOS 14.2 and iPad 14.2 updates this week, which included some useful updates to HomePod, AirPlay and the control center. But for many, the most exciting update will be the new addition of 117 emojis for your texting pleasure.
The most attention-grabbing newcomers are the wedding-themed emoji, which include men and women in tuxedos and men and women in dresses and veils. This set of emoji are particularly inclusive, with a transgender pride flag and the addition of 'Mx. Claus' and a gender-neutral person feeding a baby with a bottle.
You'll also find some particularly odd emoji in this batch: an 'anatomical' heart and lungs, the extinct wooly mammoth and dodo bird, Russian nesting dolls, a blank white sign and, ominously, a headstone.
If you want to pepper your chats with some common household items, you'll find a new screwdriver, toilet plunger, toothbrush, ladder and saw.
We also appreciate some new appetizing food emojis, from fresh blueberries, olives and bell peppers to some tamales, flatbread and bubble tea.
If we had to pick the emoji we'll end up using the most in our conversations, we'd go with the 'two people hugging' icon, the 'smiling face with tear,' and the Groucho Marx disguise.
You can check out the full list on Emojipedia, as well as check out the new emojis that will arrive sometime in 2021.
The less fun, more practical updates
As much as we love emojis, we're also excited about some of the other changes coming to iPhones and iPads with this update.
For starters, Apple has incorporated Shazam directly into the control center menu where you turn on your flashlight or adjust the brightness. Tap the music recognition button, and it will pick up the music around you and tell you what's playing.
Next, this update activates Intercom, a new HomePod feature that lets you communicate with family members on connected Apple devices including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, CarPlay, and AirPods. Updated iPhones can receive Intercom notifications that, when tapped, play the audio message.
Add in a new AirPlay control scheme, a fix that protects AirPods' longevity while charging, new wallpapers and tons of bug fixes, and iOS 14.2 is worth downloading now.
