Microsoft is replacing an emoji it currently displays as a toy gun with a symbol for a real revolver, just a few days after Apple announced it would be swapping its own revolver emoji for a water pistol in a statement on the gun crime epidemic in the US.

This emoji change is part of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which is rolling out now.

The move has surprised some, as Microsoft and Apple had been seen as allies in an effort to dial down violence in emoji generally. In June it emerged that the two had successfully lobbied to have a sports rifle removed from the latest collection of emoji, as it was felt that two firearm symbols would be too many.

In a statement given to Engadget, Microsoft said it wanted its emoji "to align with the global Unicode standard."

Our intent with every glyph is to align with the global Unicode standard, and the previous design did not map to industry designs or our customers' expectations of the emoji definition. We will continue to work with the Unicode Consortium to refine and update glyphs that reflects customer needs, feedback, and supports a consistent system that works across the digital world.

Analysts had been worried that without standardisation between platforms, intent for violent emoji could be misunderstood. For instance, if someone sent an acquaintance a message using their iPhone offering to come around with some friends and some waterguns, that acquaintance might well misunderstand the thrust of the message if they were using an Android phone and saw a series of pistols.

The revolver change comes as part of a much larger rethink of emoji from Microsoft, which redesigned its emoji keyboard when it released its Windows 10 Anniversary update. It claims to offer a total rethink, creating "1,700 new glyphs, with a possible 52,000 combinations of diverse women, men, kids, babies, and families" which has "completely overhauled their emoji for the better."

They've included skin-tone modifiers, and a means of mixing and matching different emoji, allowing users to create the symbols which best represent them. Microsoft explains more in a blog: