What Are the New Apple Emojis? A Complete Guide to Apple's Latest Emoji Updates
Apple regularly updates its emoji library with each major iOS and macOS release, adding new characters, refreshing existing designs, and expanding representation across categories. If you've noticed unfamiliar icons appearing on your keyboard or in messages from other users, here's what's actually happening — and why your experience may differ from someone else's.
How Apple Adds New Emojis
Apple doesn't invent emojis independently. New emoji characters are approved by the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit standards body that maintains the universal emoji specification. Once Unicode approves a new batch — typically through an annual update called a Unicode Emoji release — companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung design their own visual interpretations of each approved character.
This means two things:
- Every major platform eventually gets the same emoji set — but each looks visually different depending on the operating system.
- Apple's emoji designs are exclusive to Apple devices. The smiley face you send from an iPhone looks different when received on an Android phone.
Apple typically ships new emoji support through a point release of iOS (for example, iOS 17.4 or iOS 18.2), often in the months following a Unicode approval.
What's New in Apple's Most Recent Emoji Update 🍎
With iOS 18.2 and corresponding updates to macOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18.2, and watchOS 11.2, Apple introduced eight new emoji characters approved under Unicode 16.0. These include:
- Splatter — an abstract ink or liquid splash shape
- 🐦🔥 Phoenix — a mythological bird rising from flames
- 🍋🟩 Lime — distinct from the existing lemon emoji
- 🍄🟫 Brown mushroom — a variation on the existing red mushroom
- 🐲 Face of a dragon — a head-on dragon face (distinct from the existing side-view dragon)
- 🧌 Troll — a fantasy creature character
- 🫏 Donkey — a new animal addition
- 🪿 Goose — another new animal character
Beyond entirely new characters, Apple also periodically redraws or refines existing emoji — adjusting shading, proportions, or color accuracy to improve rendering on modern displays.
Why You Might Not See the New Emojis
Not every iPhone or iPad user sees the same emoji set, and there are a few specific reasons for that.
OS Version Requirements
New emoji only appear after you update to the iOS version that includes them. If you're running iOS 15 or earlier, for example, you won't see emoji approved in recent Unicode releases. Instead, your device may display a blank box, a question mark, or a generic placeholder when someone sends you a newer emoji.
Sender vs. Receiver Rendering
Even if you have the latest iOS, the emoji you send may look completely different to someone viewing it on Android, Windows, or an older Apple device. The character code is universal — but the image each platform draws for that code is not.
Third-Party Keyboards
If you use a third-party keyboard app on iOS, it may use its own emoji set or fall behind Apple's native emoji updates. Switching to Apple's built-in keyboard ensures you're working with the most current emoji designs.
iPadOS and macOS Parity
Apple's emoji updates generally arrive simultaneously across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS — but occasionally a release staggers slightly. macOS users sometimes receive new emoji support a version or two behind their iPhone counterparts.
How Apple's Emoji Designs Differ From Other Platforms
| Feature | Apple (iOS/macOS) | Google (Android) | Samsung One UI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art style | Rounded, realistic shading | Flatter, outlined | Distinct Samsung illustrations |
| Update cadence | Tied to iOS point releases | Tied to Android updates | Tied to One UI updates |
| Skin tone options | Full Fitzpatrick scale | Full Fitzpatrick scale | Full Fitzpatrick scale |
| Cross-platform rendering | Looks different on Android | Looks different on iOS | Looks different on both |
This cross-platform variation matters most in messaging contexts. An emoji that reads as playful or neutral on an iPhone may render with a slightly different expression or color on Android — something worth being aware of in professional or sensitive communication.
How to Get Apple's New Emojis
The process is straightforward:
- Go to Settings → General → Software Update on your iPhone or iPad.
- Install the latest available iOS or iPadOS version.
- Once updated, the new emoji will appear automatically in your keyboard's emoji panel.
There's no separate emoji download or third-party app required. The emoji library is baked into the operating system itself.
Variables That Affect Your Emoji Experience
Whether you're seeing Apple's latest emoji — and whether they appear as intended — depends on several factors specific to your setup:
- Which iOS version you're running (and whether your device supports the latest update)
- Which device you own (older iPhones and iPads may be excluded from recent iOS versions entirely)
- Which messaging app you use (iMessage renders Apple emoji natively; some third-party apps handle emoji differently)
- Who you're communicating with (their platform determines how your sent emoji appear on their end)
- Whether you use Apple's native keyboard or a replacement
Newer iPhones and iPads running current software will always have the fullest, most current emoji support. But for users on older hardware that no longer receives iOS updates, the available emoji set is effectively frozen at the last supported version — and that gap widens with each new Unicode release.
The right question isn't just "what are the new Apple emoji" — it's whether your specific device and software configuration can actually display and send them as Apple intended.