Everyone (except Microsoft) is using the water pistol emoji now

On platforms and devices, software and apps, the emoji keyboard is a gun-free zone. Well, almost.

On Wednesday, Google rolled out an Android update for the emoji keyboard that replaces the gun emoji with a “toy water pistol.” And according to Emojipedia, a similar change is imminent on Facebook.

Apple (via Unicode), Samsung, Twitter, and WhatsApp for Android have also all previously replaced guns with toy water pistols. 

Emojipedia reports that in the past, Google hedged on the change. But it has also emphasized its desire to be consistent with other platforms. That “consistency” is surely what drove this change — definitely not the gun control movement which has literally taken over the country in the wake of February’s Parkland, FL shooting. Read more…

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