You say you want an evolution
Apple introduced emoji to North American customers in 2011, with Google following on Android devices two years later. Since then, emoji have expanded and transformed to become more inclusive and representative of different people, races, cultures and family configurations.
2011 Apple’s emoji are released in North America. All people emoji are portrayed as white with fair skin and dark hair.
2012 Apple update includes gay and lesbian couples holding hands alongside the existing emoji of straight couples.
2013 Google updates the Android operating systems to support emoji and integrate them into the Google keyboard.
2015 Emoji become multiracial. All people emoji, including hand gestures, are portrayed as a standard yellow with the option to choose from five other shades in accordance with a skin-tone scale called the Fitzpatrick Scale.
New emoji are introduced, including more smiley face options, gestures and food popular with specific ethnic groups, including the burrito and taco.
2016 Gender equality comes to the new emoji lineup, with female emoji being used to depict roles and activities that had formerly only been portrayed by male emoji, such as athletes, scientists, artists, astronauts, firefighters, judges and pilots.
2017 A third gender option is proposed to emoji vendors: a gender-neutral or gender-ambiguous emoji for users who do not identify with traditional male or female forms. Other emoji include a woman with a headscarf or hijab, a Chinese takeout box, a dumpling and chopsticks.