iOS 10: Apple replaces gun emoji with a water pistol, and adds male versions of dancing cat women

The new software, set to be released later this year, could be the most controversial emoji update yet

Police are trying to judge just how seriously to take threatening messages using emoji (AFP/Getty Images)

Apple has banned guns from its latest update.

The company has replaced the highly-realistic revolver that has long been in the emoji keyboard with a water pistol.

The update comes alongside a range of new emoji that will come in iOS 10, which mostly looks to make the selection more diverse.

That includes the addition of female athletes and professions. It also makes the traditionally female emoji male, too – adding male versions of the famous dancing women with bunny ears, for instance.

And it adds other symbols like the rainbow flag, in keeping with Apple’s public commitment to diversity and the support of causes including those of LGBT people.

But likely to prove the most controversial is the change in the gun emoji. The new image is brightly coloured – orange and green – and far more harmless looking, in opposition to the old design that was undoubtedly a real gun.

(Apple (Apple)

The move has been welcomed by gun control groups, who have long campaigned for fewer weapon emoji. But some have mocked it as inconsequential, joking on Twitter that it wouldn’t solve anything and would do nothing to reduce actual crime.

The weapons have had real consequences, though, regularly being used to threaten people – along with the other weapons that still remain, like the knife. Police have arrested people for using the emoji as a threat, and a French court has warned that the emoji itself could constitute a death threat.

It’s not the first time that weapon emoji have proved controversial. Earlier this year it was reported that Apple and other companies had blocked the addition of a rifle emoji to the keyboard, soon after criticism from gun control campaign groups.

Apple’s statement didn’t address the change in the gun design, highlighting only the more diverse set of emoji that have been added to the keyboard. But it did include the newly-designed gun as part of the post on its site.

“More than one hundred new and redesigned emoji characters will be available to iPhone and iPad users this fall with iOS 10,” Apple said in its official announcement. “This exciting update brings more gender options to existing characters, including new female athletes and professionals, adds beautiful redesigns of popular emoji, a new rainbow flag and more family options.

“Apple is working closely with the Unicode Consortium to ensure that popular emoji characters reflect the diversity of people everywhere.”