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iOS 14.5 will come with a bunch of new emoji, including one for your vaccine selfie

There are also more skin tone variations for emoji, including couples kissing.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
Abrar Al-Heeti
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iOS will soon have several new emoji.

Apple's beta release of iOS 14.5 includes a preview of new emoji coming in the spring, including a heart on fire, an exhaling face and more skin tone variations for emoji including couples kissing. Changes have also been made to the syringe emoji, removing blood to make it more useful for depicting COVID-19 vaccines (perfect for your vaccine selfie posts on social media). 

The iPhone maker also tweaked the headphones emoji, making it resemble its new AirPods Max, and added helmets to emoji depicting people climbing.

Other additions include gender options for people with beards, a face in the clouds and a face with spiral eyes.

Apple has placed a greater emphasis on adding more inclusive and gender-neutral emoji. In an iOS update late last year, the company incorporated gender variations for people wearing a tuxedo or wedding veil, as well as several options for people bottle-feeding a baby.

Read more: iOS 14.5 is coming soon. What we know about a release date and new features

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