Google becomes latest company to swap its gun emoji for a water pistol

Back in 2016, one of the changes in iOS 10 was the swapping of Apple’s realistic-looking revolver emoji with a green water gun. It’s taken a couple of years, but it seems other companies are now following in the iPhone maker’s footsteps.

Twitter replaced its pistol emoji with a water gun just a few days ago. The icon had been a popular way for the platform’s many trolls to harass and threaten people, so the change wasn’t too surprising, though Twitter said it was made in the interests of “consistency.” Samsung made the same switch in the Samsung 9.0 update earlier this year.

Now, Google has updated its Noto Color Emoji repository with a new design, according to Emojipedia. The company’s pistol emoji, which has changed several times over the years but always resembled an actual gun, has turned into what looks like a super soaker, complete with bright orange/yellow colors and a water reservoir.