Facebook Messenger is about to be a whole lot more diverse.
We can't go a full conversation without sending our friends an emoji or a few to better express or emphasize what we are saying. When chatting in Messenger, we will soon be able to see more options when it comes to the types of emojis we use.
Facebook announced on Wednesday that it will start rolling out its own emojis in Messenger that will include female characters and different skin colors.
Previously, users could only send and receive emojis in Messenger using the emoji keyboards or software already on their devices. Because these characters are not native in the app, Android users are not be able to see a specific emoji if it is just found on iOS. However, Facebook Messenger does allow users to send the thumbs up sign and various stickers in the app.
Now, Messenger will finally get its own emojis, and it is making sure the ones that represent women are not stereotypical. After all, women do more than just get their hair done, dance and sit behind a desk.
Providing users with more gender- and racially-diverse emojis, Facebook Messenger will include over 1,500 newly-designed emojis. These include gender-agnostic options and female characters depicting various roles.
"We're diversifying the genders to create a more balanced mix that's more representative of our world," Facebook writes in a blog post.
These include a woman cop, surfer, swimmer and runner. New female emojis are expected to keep rolling out.
Messenger will also feature multi-color emojis so that more races and ethnicities are better represented. Users will be able to choose the skin color they prefer, and can change it at any time.
Along with picking a skin tone, users can also choose a hair color. Messenger also has an emoji that represents redheads — a first in emoji history.
All users will be able to see the new emojis, regardless if they have iOS or Android.
"Messenger is addressing emoji woes by rolling out a new set of standardized emojis so you can be sure you're sending the right message," Facebook said. "No matter what emoji you pick, it will now look the same for all Messenger users, regardless if the recipient is on Android, iOS or another platform. In other words, no more broken-looking black boxes or emojis that just don't make sense. Our characters are consistent every time you use them, no matter what platform the recipient is on."
To use the new emojis, Messenger users just have to tap on the icon located to the left of the composer. Users can scroll through all the options to send emojis like pizza and a beer when telling your friends it's time to grab some food.
The Facebook Messenger emojis will start rolling out globally tomorrow.
Facebook isn't the only platform bringing more diversity to its emojis. Apple users can already select skin tones, and Google has plans to include more female emojis that represent the working field.
Source: Facebook
