Apple unveiled its diverse emoji sets in both OS X 10.10.3 and iOS 8.3 beta 2 Monday, according to The Verge. The new selections are available in six different color schemes that change the hair and skin tones of the previously standard Caucasian options.
Consumer demand has been mounting in recent years for Apple to diversify the available emoji sets to reflect the broad range of people who use their products. After all, white people aren’t the only people who use those blushing smiley faces or animated high-fives in their text messages.
Now, as a result of alterations to Unicode standards, developers with early access to the beta programs can tap on an emoji and choose the color code that best matches the desired appearance.
This setup is limited, of course, and the new emoji options certainly do not precisely represent every person who uses an Apple device. But after years of limited options, Apple users will finally be able to send, for instance, holiday greetings with a black Santa Claus.
The official release dates have not been announced. Until then, the wider public should expect access to the beta versions by early spring.
Read more at The Verge.