Emoji will soon become more diverse.

Apple has incorporated versions of the cartoon faces in a variety of skin tones into its latest update to its mobile operating system.

Insiders say the color palette used is based on the Fitzpatrick scale, a standard used by dermatologists

“The Fitzpatrick scale was developed by Dr. Fitzpatrick, who was the chairman of dermatology at Harvard,” said Bay Area dermatologist Dr. James Spencer. “He was studying sunburn and skin cancer, so what the six points on the scale are is your sensitivity to sun. It wasn’t meant to describe ethnicity. However, it’s widely accepted and it’s the best we have, and I certainly think this a step in the right direction.”

Fitzpatrick’s words are echoed by people who already use emojis on their smart phone.

“I believe this is a start,” said Ni-Chelle Lawson, of St. Petersburg.

We contacted Apple for comment on the upcoming changes, which are due out sometime this year.

“Apple supports and cares deeply about diversity, and is working with The Unicode Consortium to update the standard so that it better represents diversity for all of us,” said a company spokesperson.