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It’s been 10 years since emojis first appeared on iPhones.
They were added as part of the OS 2.2 update on Nov. 21, 2008 and it’s been a whirlwind of a decade since.
π π₯ Happy birthday, iPhone emoji π―βοΈ π https://t.co/qFWxIw2Pjb pic.twitter.com/RdEkxlENdH
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
To celebrate the anniversary, Emojipedia tweeted out a number pictures showing what that first set of iPhone emojis looked like compared to what they are today.
While some just underwent minor changes, some have been fully transformed over the last 10 years.
That includes the ‘Man With Chinese Cap’ emoji, which was quite racist when it first came out in 2008, but has now been transformed to “make the Gua Pi Mao the distinguishing feature.”
π² 10 years ago today: Apple releases iPhone OS 2.2 with an emoji font and keyboard for the first time. November 21, 2008. pic.twitter.com/EONYIjIni9
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
Another major change came with the pistol emoji, which was switched from a weapon to a squirt gun in 2016 after multiple incidents of gun violence around the world.
Plenty of electronic emojis have evolved as the technology has evolved, with one example being the old desktop computer emoji evolving into a mac laptop.
Check out a number of the transformations below, courtesy of Emojipedia!
π² Man With Chinese Cap existed in original Japanese emoji sets to represent a "stereotypical Chinese person". Over time this design was updated to make the Gua Pi Mao (traditional Chinese cap) the distinguishing feature https://t.co/WUcQLgjgRQ pic.twitter.com/lGcgHjLxj6
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π« Pistol on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/ILyjRd2Rfe pic.twitter.com/g4q8eBmknK
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π» Laptop Computer (original name: Personal Computer) on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/iCdn50vnlF (the π₯οΈ Desktop Computer emoji is now used for display of an iMac on Apple platforms) pic.twitter.com/p608qZDe1S
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π² Astonished Face on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/ajoEkNzgvQ pic.twitter.com/d6wi5ygjRq
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
πΌ Baby Angel on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/pmo9t3k9xo pic.twitter.com/5X15YFlyOA
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π³ Cooking on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/p7mf5HLuVL pic.twitter.com/ZsqLF8RpCp
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Woman Dancing on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/TBvgoG3QUq pic.twitter.com/VbTRpUWyG8
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π¦ Bank on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/uvTaRRMGmr pic.twitter.com/1vGRR8FwBz
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Person Taking Bath on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/oJCRIdCkrz pic.twitter.com/7M21Tlwfla
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Eggplant on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/zQMjtGoiCX pic.twitter.com/KbeyJ7fPKp
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Bus Stop on iPhone. The original is similar to many bus stop signs in Japan and the current version appears designed after bus stops around Cupertino #2008v2018 https://t.co/b5spzcdsiz pic.twitter.com/BElC8GORoN
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π« Two-Hump Camel (original name: Bactrian Camel) on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/KawK1Wc0An pic.twitter.com/TIKOEcOrMe
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π° Castle on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/GvDs11QsnS pic.twitter.com/jM4HtoGrx2
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Beaming Face With Smiling Eyes (original name: Grinning Face With Smiling Eyes) on iPhone. Updated for increased cross-platform compatibility in 2016 #2008v2018 https://t.co/2HgVeYm43f pic.twitter.com/uMMLpRYUuP
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π¨ Hammer on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/I5pObSiHxI pic.twitter.com/G2ds0oLWSb
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Person Running (original name: Runner) on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/7KQSOaszCp pic.twitter.com/0xqKOTkio8
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Fallen Leaf on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/dWTfb7cjMj pic.twitter.com/4oPrfbJeqY
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Folded Hands on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/KlAKoVRR8b pic.twitter.com/gYp27HmrBu
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
βͺ Church on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/3jJnEHdfGq pic.twitter.com/H0bahq68Ig
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
β³ Flag in Hole on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/JnIT32BvrU pic.twitter.com/8gnGzFdi0L
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Wind Chime on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/niuLQAdqPi pic.twitter.com/7CKtx3A1PN
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Fax Machine on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/CRx2UhchAk pic.twitter.com/4HumCYzX1j
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π½ Statue of Liberty on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/lkcXyZz66u pic.twitter.com/7IzgVfAzXP
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π· Construction Worker no longer displays the green plus / cross on the helmet shown in 2008. This is used in Japan as a safety reminder in construction zones #2008v2018 https://t.co/ENbQbhQDMV pic.twitter.com/K7paQWGhjn
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Spiral Shell on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/WxeZcTy0Al pic.twitter.com/Ora8ZJieJr
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 21, 2018
π Person Tipping Hand (original name: Information Desk Person) on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/m7l3EzXh6p pic.twitter.com/xXoVKuuUMh
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π Sunrise Over Mountains on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/o8YsErz2FE pic.twitter.com/swLuZyw6iH
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
πͺ Convenience Store on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/vp7YPODwBO pic.twitter.com/5tFnDGCs4T
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π« Man and Woman Holding Hands on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/EI0JE0qMZi pic.twitter.com/UzEcXwnyAn
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π³ Vibration Mode on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/HMkK1qNFTG pic.twitter.com/3JVkJ2yIST
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π Metro on iPhone #2008v2018 where 'IL2' in the 2018 emoji may be a reference to the building at Apple's Infinite Loop campus used for iPhone development https://t.co/iLdmlqD5gV pic.twitter.com/j7w1E8OQpK
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π Face With Tears of Joy on iPhone #2008v2018 - no major changes, but the shadow is gone now https://t.co/qoDQ98JA2L pic.twitter.com/AghDFDmjwM
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π Graduation Cap on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/h9MUbTKT4T pic.twitter.com/twY2FqSJwQ
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π Rocket on iPhone #2008v2018 https://t.co/jZNvnx7QJK pic.twitter.com/GLFrzQOZo9
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
♠οΈ Spade Suit on iPhone #2008v2018 - all card suits previously appeared as playing cards ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦ https://t.co/Xk9jDEwyAt pic.twitter.com/ONWJjDXXAY
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 22, 2018
π Backpack (original name: School Satchel) was originally designed in a style of bag commonly found in Japanese schools. The newer iPhone emoji looks closer to an American-style backpack #2008v2018 https://t.co/IcLoNyPiWr pic.twitter.com/0nkwbLCXUW
— Emojipedia π (@Emojipedia) November 23, 2018