The Emoji is Dead, Your iPhone Will Soon Have a GIF Keyboard

Were you a little underwhelmed with all the tech news this week? A new iPhone or fandangled watch from the future is great and all, but most of us aren't all that up for throwing another $1000 at Apple. If so, here's a little piece of the tech revolution that won't leave you bankrupt (except maybe morally so).

The world is about to get it's very first GIF keyboard for iPhones. The upcoming app PopKey will be available for those using the new iOS 8 and will enable users to save, select and send a variety of GIFs in exactly the way they currently use the emoji keyboard. Just like emojis, the GIFs will be organised into different sections. Categories supposedly include 'LOL', 'shocked', 'facepalm' and 'swag'. Basically, your phone will no longer be a means to communicate and articulate yourself with loved ones, it will be an interactive version of Buzzfeed.

We have a lot of feels about this. At first we were nerdily excited.

Then we remembered how people over-do it with emojis. GIF onslaughts could be a whole new level of crazy.

Finally, we realised there's no other option than deleting our younger siblings numbers from our phones completely.

But aside from all that, it's a pretty excellent concept. In addition to the library of GIFs you accumulate yourself, the app will update in realtime with those which are currently trending online. This means you'll be the first to know when Jennifer Lawrence or Tina Fey do something quirky, or the internet goes crazy for whatever this creepy thing with Emma Watson was all about.

iOS 8 is set to launch on Wednesday, September 17 and PopKey shouldn't be too far behind it. Soon you can test out the technology for yourself. Give up your beloved red salsa lady emoji for a bit of Queen Bey. Let Emma Stone communicate your approval from here on out. Either that or throw your iPhone off a bridge. This is the way of the world now.

Via Mashable.