The firm’s latest iOS 9.1 update, which is available to download for iPhone and iPad today, includes the much-anticipated middle finger icon.

It has been introduced along with 150 other new emoji including a taco, cheese wedge, hot dog, unicorn and a popping champagne bottle.

To update to iOS 9.1 on your iPhone, head to Settings, General then Software Update and let the installation complete.

The new emoji can only be seen with those running the latest software. Anyone else will see an alien figure or blank space in its place. 

The middle finger icon was welcomed by users all over the world, many of whom were devastated when it didn’t appear in the iOS 9 update. 

Other new emoji spotted on the iOS 9.1 keyboard include a spider, chili pepper, a squirrel, turkey, scorpion and a hand with the middle finger extended.  

On the activity tab, a golfer taking a swing, a cricket bat and ball, a volleyball, bow and arrow, and a hockey stick have been added. 

The objects tab also now has a candle, a 50s-style microphone and a bin.

Several new faces, hands and zodiac symbols can also now be used, including an upside-down face, a unicorn a ‘thinking’ face and a crab.

In addition to the mosque, other religious symbols include prayer beads and a synagogue. 

These emoji have been a long time coming because the method of adding new emoji is complex.

They must first be approved by an organisation called the Unicode Consortium in California responsible for developing Unicode. 

The consortium selects candidates from popular or topical requests and candidates are also picked if there are existing gaps in current emoji - for example, Unicode 7.0 had a tiger, but not a lion.

Once the emoji are made available by the consortium, companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft can then integrate them into their own systems.

As well as new emoji another feature for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is a change to Live Photos. 

The update means that when you go to take a picture, iOS 9.1 will be able to tell when you’re lifting or lowering your iPhone, which will prevent it from recording Live Photos.

The release also fixes 49 security vulnerabilities and introduced Apple News to the UK market.

(dailymail.co.uk)