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Apple Shows Off Upcoming Redhead, Bald Emoji

Apple is celebrating World Emoji Day by giving users a look at the new emoji characters headed to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac later this year. The free update to iOS 12 will add 70 new characters.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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In case you weren't already aware, tomorrow is World Emoji Day.

Apple is celebrating the occasion by giving users a look at the new emoji characters headed to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac later this year. The free update to iOS 12 will add 70 new characters, including ones with red, gray, and curly hair; and one that's bald.

Apple 2018 emoji

Also on tap are a couple of new smiley faces, including one that's freezing cold with icicles hanging off its mouth and chin, and another with a party hat, paper horn, and confetti. There's also a "pleading face" with big eyes and a blushing smiley face surrounded by three hearts.

Apple 2018 emoji

Apple 2018 emoji

Foodies will be getting some new emoji options, including a mango, head of lettuce, cupcake, and moon cake. The animal section is also getting a few new additions, including a kangaroo, peacock, parrot, and lobster.

Apple 2018 emoji

Other new characters headed to Apple devices later this year include male and female superheros, a softball, infinity symbol, and a nazar amulet believed to offer protection against the evil eye. Apple's new emoji designs are based on approved characters in Unicode 11.0.

Meanwhile, Apple earlier this year proposed a batch of new accessibility characters, including two different service dogs, a person with a cane, an ear with a hearing aid, a person in an electric wheelchair, a person in a manual wheelchair, a prosthetic arm, a prosthetic leg, and a person with an index finger on the cheek to represent the American Sign Language gesture for "deaf." Don't expect those characters anytime soon, however. This year's emoji list has already been set, so if approved, Apple's proposed accessibility characters won't arrive until next year.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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