Lovers of metal and emoji rejoice, because the highly-anticipated ‘metal horns’ emoji has been let loose into the world so that we might never have to awkwardly type that \m/ thing ever again.
The new metal horns emoji has arrived in the latest software updates for iPhones, iPads and Macs, and is coming to Android soon.
Apple’s latest iPad and iPhone update, iOS 9.1, adds over 150 new emoji — we’re talkin’ things like the middle finger, a burrito, a taco and a hotdog — but its greatest addition is, by far, the metal horns emoji, which comes in a variety of skin tones.
So, if you have a compatible device (for iPhones that’s iPhone 4S and above), get on that shit by going to Settings > General > Software Update. After you’ve updated, proceed to use the metal horns emoji as much as possible in all conversations.
The popularisation of the metal horns gesture in the music world is widely credited to Ronnie James Dio, who began using it on stage with Black Sabbath after taking over from Ozzy Osbourne.
As Dio explained in an interview with Metal Rules, the sign was adopted from his superstitious Italian grandmother who used it to ward off the evil eye or to give the evil eye.
“It’s just a symbol, but it had magical incantations and attitudes to it and I felt it worked very well with Sabbath,” Dio said. “So I became very noted for it and then everybody else started to pick up on it and away it went. But I would never say I take credit for being the first to do it.”
Watch Dio explain the origins of the metal horns below, alongside a selection of the newest emoji.
Watch: Ronnie James Dio Talks The Origins Of The Metal/Devil Horns
https://youtu.be/BxQpGu-ZgtY
these are some of the new emojis with IOS 9.1 pic.twitter.com/cdiBxdpTzy
— fluff ? ? dragoncon (@FluffKambach) October 22, 2015
