Importance Score: 62 / 100 🔴
New Emojis Launch on iPhone with iOS 18.4 Update
From basic smileys and love hearts to stilettos and rainbows, a vast selection of emojis already exists to express almost every conceivable emotion or situation. Now, iPhone owners are gaining access to an even greater variety of expressive icons.
Apple’s latest iOS 18.4 update introduces eight new emojis for iPhone users, offering fresh options for digital communication. Among these additions, one particular emoji, the ‘face with bags under eyes’, is generating significant buzz and is anticipated to become a favorite among users.
Introducing the Latest Emoji Additions
The expanded emoji set includes several practical and whimsical designs. iPhone users will find options such as a harp, a shovel, a bare tree, and a root vegetable. Alongside these, the update also presents more unconventional choices, including a purple ‘splatter’, a vibrant blue fingerprint, and the flag of Sark – a small Channel Island with a population of approximately 500 residents.
‘Face with Bags Under Eyes’ Emoji Sparks Excitement
However, it is the weary-looking ‘face with bags under eyes’ emoji that has truly captured the attention of Apple enthusiasts. Social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), are abuzz with reactions.
- One user on X exclaimed, ‘I’ve never related to an emoji so much in my life,’ highlighting the emoji’s instant relatability.
- Another commenter predicted, ‘I’m still saying that this will be the most used emoji of the year,’ indicating its potential for widespread adoption.
- ‘Definitely this emoji is going to take off,’ another Apple user chimed in, echoing the sentiment of growing popularity.
- Adding to the chorus of praise, one user remarked, ‘The new iPhone 2025 emoji is accurate af,’ suggesting its reflection of contemporary feelings.
Emoji Selection Process and Availability
These new emojis originate from the September 2024 recommendations by the Unicode Consortium, the organization responsible for standardizing emojis across platforms. Tech companies like Samsung, Apple, and Meta then adapt these standard designs into their own unique styles for their respective operating systems.
The emojis are now readily available for use on iPhones as part of the iOS 18.4 update, which was released recently.
Keith Broni, Editor-in-Chief of Emojipedia and a member of the Unicode Consortium, officially unveiled the new Apple designs in a recent online post. Mr. Broni stated, ‘Today Apple has officially debuted eight new emoji designs within iOS 18.4, bringing designs such as a paint splatter, a harp, and a face with bags under its eyes to iPhones, iPads, and all other Apple devices globally.’
Surprise Inclusion: The Flag of Sark
A particularly unexpected addition to this update is the flag of Sark emoji. The inclusion of a flag for Sark is noteworthy because, as the Unicode Consortium has acknowledged, they ceased adding new flag emojis in March 2022.
Emojipedia explained at the time that this decision was due to the ‘transient nature’ of many pride flags and the ‘challenges of including some identities while excluding others’.
While Mr. Broni confirmed that this policy ‘remains in effect’, Sark was granted an emoji because it possesses its own official ‘ISO’ country code, similar to its geographical neighbors, Jersey and Guernsey, which also have their own flag emojis.
Despite this justification, numerous social media users expressed their astonishment and bewilderment regarding this specific choice.
- One commenter questioned the emoji’s utility, saying, ‘Sark flag is crazy maybe a grand total of 3 people will ever use that.’
- Another user humorously inquired, ‘I’m obsessed with the Sark emoji – Why Sark,’ highlighting the unexpected nature of the inclusion.
Harp Emoji Gains Popularity, Purple Splatter Divides Opinions
Social media users have also enthusiastically welcomed the harp emoji, largely due to its visual resemblance to the Guinness logo.
- One excited commenter shared, ‘Harp emoji is going to change my life (and my friends being aware of my Guinness consumption) forever,’ emphasizing its cultural relevance.
- ‘Updating my iPhone for the first time in 3 years to get the little Guinness harp emoji,’ another user posted, indicating the emoji’s drawing power.
Divisive Purple Splatter Emoji
In contrast, the purple ‘splatter’ emoji has emerged as the most contentious among iPhone users, eliciting mixed reactions of enthusiasm and confusion.
- One puzzled Apple user questioned, ‘What makes them think we need a purple splat?!?’ expressing a lack of apparent use case.
- ‘What the heck is the purple splat,’ another user asked, further highlighting the confusion surrounding the emoji’s purpose.
- Another person joked, ‘Oh good what would I do without the purple blob,’ using sarcasm to convey their lack of understanding.
- While another commenter added, ‘They implemented the purple splat emoji oh my god I thought it was a joke,’ indicating disbelief at its inclusion.
Despite the widespread confusion, the peculiar purple splat has also attracted a dedicated following since its release.
- An enthusiastic commenter declared, ‘Splatter is goated,’ using internet slang for ‘greatest of all time’ to express strong approval.
- While another chimed in, ‘I need the purple splat emoji so bad,’ showing genuine desire for the seemingly random emoji.
Updating to iOS 18.4 for New Emojis
To experience these new emojis firsthand, iPhone users must update their devices to the latest iOS 18.4 version.
iOS 18.4 is compatible with all iPhones currently supporting iOS 18, ranging from iPhone X models to the latest iPhone 16 series.
Installation Instructions
To install the update:
- Open the Settings application on your iPhone.
- For users with automatic downloads enabled, the update may already be installed if the iPhone was charging and connected to Wi-Fi overnight.
- Otherwise, a ‘Software Update Available’ notification should appear on the main Settings page. Tap this notification.
- This will navigate to the Software Update section, displaying available updates.
- If iOS 18.4 is listed, select ‘Install Now’ to initiate the installation.
- If ‘Download and Install’ is displayed, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, and then select ‘Install Now’.
- To manually access the Software Update page without a notification, go to ‘General’ in Settings and then tap ‘Software Update’.
Additional Features in iOS 18.4
Beyond the new emojis, the iOS 18.4 update incorporates several additional enhancements, including the introduction of Genmoji to European devices. Genmoji enables iPhone users to generate custom emojis using simple text prompts powered by AI.
Other upgrades within Apple Intelligence, Apple’s suite of AI-driven features, involve the rollout of priority notifications and minor enhancements to Image Playground.
iPhone users will also gain a dedicated ambient music playback feature within the Control Center, similar to the Shazam music recognition tool. This feature provides access to curated playlists categorized as Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.