Phones Canada is excited to share the latest update from the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. This platform has recently redesigned its 🔫 Water Pistol emoji to now depict an actual firearm. This change marks a departure from the trend followed by other major emoji vendors between 2016 and 2018.

Here are some key points to know about this update:

– The redesign started rolling out on July 18th, right after World Emoji Day 2024.
– The new design is currently available through X’s web client, which still uses the Twemoji emoji design set.
– Mobile users on Android devices will not be affected by this change as the Twemoji set was replaced by native device emojis in February 2023.
– Similarly, iOS users who have always used Apple’s native emojis will not see this update.

This recent redesign essentially reverses a shift that began in 2016 when Apple changed the firearm emoji to a water pistol. This change was gradually adopted by other vendors, leading to universal adoption of the water pistol design by 2018.

This update is significant as it is the first modification made to the Twemoji emoji design set since July of the previous year. It follows updates made to emojis like 😷 Face with Medical Mask, 🥺 Pleading Face, and 🥹 Face Holding Back Tears.

Since October 2022, a separate branch of Twemoji has been maintained on GitHub by former Twemoji designer Justine De Caires. This open-source branch still uses the water pistol design implemented in 2018.

The decision by X to revert to the firearm design could spark discussions about how digital symbols can influence user perception and behavior. Stay tuned for more updates on this topic!