New Apple Emojis Arrive with iOS 26.4 Beta 4, Plus Custom Emoji Creation with Genmoji
Apple has released the fourth developer beta for iOS 26.4, introducing a wealth of new emojis from the Unicode 17.0 list. Alongside these additions, Apple continues to refine its Genmoji feature, allowing users to create custom emojis directly on their iPhones.
New Emojis in iOS 26.4 Beta 4
The latest beta includes 163 new emoji designs, with 13 representing entirely new concepts and 150 being skin tone variations for existing emojis like 🤼 People Wrestling and 👯 People With Bunny Ears. The completely new emoji concepts are:
- Distorted Face
- Fight Cloud
- 🧑🩰 Ballet Dancer
- Orca
- Hairy Creature
- Trombone
- Landslide
- Treasure Chest
These emojis are based on recommendations from Unicode’s September 2025 list, known as Emoji 17.0 [Emojipedia].
Create Your Own Emojis with Genmoji
Introduced with iOS 18.2 in 2024, Apple’s Genmoji feature, powered by Apple Intelligence, allows users to generate custom emojis. This eliminates the require to wait for the Unicode Consortium to approve and release new emojis annually.
How to Make Custom Emojis
- Open Messages and navigate to a chat.
- Tap the plus (+) button next to the text box.
- Tap Genmoji.
You can then type a description of the desired emoji into the text box. The system will generate a series of options based on your input. Alternatively, you can explore suggested themes. With iOS 26 or later, you can also combine existing emojis to create new ones. [Facebook – Emojipedia]
Once you find an emoji you like, tap “Add” to make it available for utilize in Messages as an emoji, tapback, or sticker.
Looking Ahead
The iOS 26.4 beta 4 release provides a preview of the new emojis coming to Apple devices. The final public release of iOS 26.4 is anticipated in late March or early April, based on past iOS beta release patterns [Emojipedia]. Genmoji continues to empower users with creative control over their digital communication, offering a dynamic alternative to the traditional emoji release cycle.
Worth a look