New Emoji Features in iOS 26 for iPhone Users

New Emoji Features in iOS 26 for iPhone Users

New Emoji Features in iOS 26 for iPhone Users


### World Emoji Day 2025: Fresh Emoji Coming to iOS 26

Today is World Emoji Day, a commemoration of the vibrant and expressive icons that have become essential in digital communication. This year, the Unicode Consortium, the entity responsible for greenlighting new emoji, has revealed the newest additions that will be featured in the forthcoming iOS 26.

#### Who Determines New Emoji?

Although many might think that tech companies like Apple have the ultimate authority over which emoji appear on their devices, the truth is that the Unicode Consortium serves as the governing entity that reviews and approves new emoji submissions. Each year, the Consortium welcomes submissions from the public, which are then assessed and voted on to decide which emoji will gain official recognition.

#### Fresh Emoji for iOS 26

From an initial selection of more than 160 submissions, the Unicode Consortium has confirmed eight new emoji for iOS 26. The new entries include:

– **Apple Core**
– **Ballet Dancers**
– **Distorted Face**
– **Fight Cloud**
– **Hairy Creature**
– **Orca**
– **Trombone**
– **Treasure Chest**

These emoji will be crafted by Apple prior to their launch, but the Consortium has also provided its interpretations of these new symbols.

#### Timeline for Release

Generally, Apple does not unveil new emoji in the initial launch of a new iOS version. Rather, they are frequently added in later updates. For example, the most recent emoji collection was introduced in iOS 18.4 earlier this year. It is expected that the new emoji for iOS 26 will be deployed in updates such as iOS 26.1 or 26.2 later this year.

#### Crafting Your Own Emoji

While awaiting the official launch of these new emoji, users can look into creative possibilities like Genmoji, which enables the creation of custom emoji-like designs.

#### Conclusion

The arrival of new emoji signifies the changing nature of communication in the digital era. With the latest enhancements, users will gain even more opportunities to express themselves in their conversations. Which of the new emoji are you most looking forward to? Share your opinions in the comments!