iOS 18 update poised to add 7 new emojis to your iPhone & iPad

Your Apple devices get new emojis added in iterative updates, and the latest emoji additions might include a face with bags under its eyes, a fingerprint, a leafless tree, a root vegetable, a harp, a shovel, and splatter.

The Unicode Consortium opened its beta review period for Unicode 16, which includes new emojis coming with iOS 18 sometime in late 2024 or early 2025.

This beta testing period runs until July 2nd. Then, Unicode 16 will be officially announced, including the final set of approved new characters. After the review is complete, it’s up to companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft to add these new characters to their systems.

Unicode

Apple’s most recent emoji additions came with the iOS 17.4 update in March. The company included some fun new characters into the mix, like a lime, a brown mushroom, a phoenix, a broken chain, and shaking heads to signal “yes” and “no.”

It’s unclear when the new emojis will roll out. If Apple follows the trend, they should be available with iOS 18.4, which should come in early 2025.

Apple is expected to unveil the iOS 18 update at its upcoming WWDC conference on June 10th. However, don’t expect it on your phone right away. The update likely won’t hit devices until September 2024, and if rumors are true, iOS 18 could be a game-changer.

Mark Gurman, a well-known Apple analyst, predicts it’ll be the company’s biggest iOS update yet, with a heavy focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) features. We might see a major Siri upgrade that uses AI to make it more conversational and helpful.

Plus, Apple could integrate AI into existing apps like Music, Notes, and Photos. There’s even a chance Apple might team up with OpenAI to bring its popular ChatGPT tool to iPhones.