Apple replaces gun emoji with water pistol  

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 Independent reports.

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.