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Best Emojis

iOS Emoji Updates, Which Version Added Which Emoji

New emoji do not arrive when Unicode approves them. They arrive when your phone gets a font update, and the gap between those two events is usually about six months. This page tracks every iOS release that actually shipped new emoji, with the date it landed and what came with it.

Every iOS release that added emoji

iOS releaseShippedEmoji versionEmoji added
iOS 26.4Emoji 17.0163
iOS 18.4Emoji 16.08
iOS 17.4Emoji 15.1118
iOS 16.4Emoji 15.031
iOS 15.4Emoji 14.0112
iOS 14.2Emoji 13.0117
iOS 13.2Emoji 12.1168
iOS 12.1Emoji 11.0157
iOS 11.1Emoji 10.056

What has not shipped yet

Unicode 18.0 was ratified in September 2026 with nine new emoji concepts. No platform has drawn them yet, so they render as blank boxes everywhere. Apple has used a March or April point release every year since iOS 15.4, which makes spring 2027 the pattern to watch rather than a promise.

See what is in Unicode 18.0

Apple ships emoji on a schedule

Look down the Shipped column and the rhythm is obvious. Since iOS 15.4 in 2022, every new emoji set has landed in a March or April point release, roughly six months after the September Unicode ratification. Before that the timing wandered: iOS 14.2 came in November, iOS 12.1 and 13.2 in October. If you are waiting on an emoji approved last September, spring is when to expect it.

Why your friend sees a blank box

An emoji is a character, not an image. When you send one, your phone transmits a code point and the receiving device draws it from its own font. If that device has not had the update that added the glyph, there is nothing to draw, so it shows an empty rectangle. Nothing is broken and the message is intact. The character appears the moment they update.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which iOS version added the newest emoji?

iOS 26.4, released in March 2026, added the Emoji 17.0 set of 163 emoji including the Distorted Face and the Orca. It is the most recent iOS release to add new characters. Unicode 18.0 was ratified in September 2026 but no Apple release has shipped it yet.

How do I update my iPhone to get new emoji?

Open Settings, then General, then Software Update, and install the latest version. Emoji ship inside the system font, so there is no separate download, no App Store step and no keyboard setting to enable. Once the update finishes the new characters are in the picker.

Why do new emoji take months to arrive after they are announced?

Unicode only defines the character and a reference description. Each vendor then draws its own artwork, tests it at every size and in dark mode, and folds it into a system font update. Apple has taken roughly six months from ratification to release in each of the last several years.

Do new emoji work if I update but my friend has not?

You will see the emoji and they will see a blank box, because the glyph comes from their font rather than from your message. The character itself transmits correctly and will display properly as soon as they install the update.

Further reading