How to get the secret Vulcan salute emoji on your iPhone

Apple has a new batch of emojis waiting for you in this week's iOS 8.3 update - but aside from the new icons and racially-diverse characters, iOS now supports a secret Star Trek-themed emoji: The Vulcan salute.

If you want a simple way to tell your friends to "live long and prosper," here's how you can get Spock's signature greeting on your iPhone.

• Open this tweet on your iPhone.
• Copy the Vulcan salute emoji.
• Visit your phone's Settings app, then go to the General folder, then the Keyboards folder
• In the Shortcuts folder, select the "+" icon in the top right corner
• Select "Phrase" and paste the Vulcan salute emoji
• Create a shortcut name - a popular, easy-to-remember choice is "llap" - and click save

Now anytime you write "llap" (or a shortcut of your choosing) in iMessage, you'll have the option to drop in the Vulcan salute emoji. The late Leonard Nimoy would find this emoji a most logical addition to your iPhone's keyboard.