iOS 18.5 adds 118 new emojis across multiple categories

Apple released iOS 18.5 in May 2025 with 118 new emojis that expand options for faces, hands, animals, food, and objects. The update follows Apple's yearly pattern of adding emojis aligned with the Unicode Consortium's annual release — the standards body that coordinates emoji across all platforms and devices. These aren't cosmetic changes; they reflect how people actually communicate and what conversations need visual representation.

The new emojis work the same way as existing ones: they appear in your keyboard when you update, sync across your Apple devices, and display on non-Apple devices (though the visual style may differ). If you're running iOS 18.5 or later, you already have access to them. If you're on an older version, you won't see them until you update.

Key Takeaways

  • iOS 18.5 includes 118 new emojis released in May 2025, covering faces, hands, animals, food, and objects that weren't previously available.
  • New face emojis include variations like a face with bags under the eyes, a face with a spiral mouth, and a face with a monocle for specific emotional or comedic moments.
  • Hand gesture additions include a hand making a heart shape, a hand with fingers crossed, and a leftward-pointing hand to expand non-verbal communication options.
  • Animal and nature emojis added include a jellyfish, a hyena, a kakapo (a flightless parrot), and a fenec fox, reflecting biodiversity in emoji form.
  • Food and object additions range from a shaved ice emoji to a grappling hook, letting you represent more specific items in conversation.

New face emojis and what they express

The face category received the most additions in iOS 18.5. Apple added a face with bags under the eyes — useful for expressing exhaustion without needing words. There's also a face with a spiral mouth, which conveys dizziness, confusion, or being overwhelmed in a more exaggerated way than existing face options. A face with a monocle lets you express skepticism or scrutiny, and a face with a raised eyebrow variation gives you another tool for sarcasm or doubt.

These additions matter because emoji communication relies on visual precision. Before iOS 18.5, if you wanted to express "I'm so tired I can barely function," you had to choose between a sleeping face, a tired face, or a sad face — none of which quite captured the specific exhaustion the bags-under-eyes emoji now conveys. The new options let you match your emotional state more closely to what you're actually feeling, which makes text-based conversation feel less like choosing from a limited menu.

Hand gestures that expand non-verbal communication

Hand emojis in iOS 18.5 now include a hand making a heart shape (two hands forming a heart together), a hand with fingers crossed, and a leftward-pointing hand. These join existing hand gestures like thumbs up, peace sign, and waving hand. The heart-hands emoji is particularly useful for expressing love, support, or solidarity without needing to type it out. The crossed-fingers emoji works for expressing hope or luck — "fingers crossed for good news."

The leftward-pointing hand fills a directional gap. Before iOS 18.5, you could point right, up, or down, but pointing left required workarounds like using an arrow emoji or describing the direction in text. Now you have symmetry across all four directions, which matters for giving directions, highlighting something to the left in a photo, or just completing a set of directional gestures.

Animals and nature emojis now include more species

iOS 18.5 added animals that weren't previously represented: a jellyfish, a hyena, a kakapo (a critically endangered flightless parrot from New Zealand), and a fenec fox (a small desert fox with large ears). These additions reflect both common animals people want to reference and species that matter culturally or scientifically. The kakapo is particularly notable because it's an endangered species, and including it in emoji form raises awareness of conservation.

For everyday use, the jellyfish emoji works for beach conversations, aquarium trips, or ocean-related topics. The hyena gives you a specific large predator option beyond the existing lion and tiger. The fenec fox appeals to people who want a cute, distinctive animal that isn't a common pet. These aren't random additions — they come from user requests and proposals submitted to the Unicode Consortium, which means people asked for them.

Food and object additions for specific situations

Food emojis in iOS 18.5 include shaved ice, which represents the frozen dessert more specifically than the existing ice cream emoji. There's also a grappling hook in the objects category, which serves both practical and playful purposes — you can use it to reference climbing, rescue scenarios, or just as a visual joke. Other additions include a boomerang, a nesting dolls emoji, and a shovel.

The shaved ice emoji matters because it's distinct from ice cream — shaved ice is a different texture and often a different cultural food experience. In countries where shaved ice is a common summer treat, having a specific emoji for it means you're not forced to use an ice cream emoji that doesn't quite fit. The grappling hook and boomerang expand the objects category for people who want to reference specific tools or toys without describing them in text.

How to find and use the new emojis

If you're on iOS 18.5 or later, the new emojis are already in your keyboard. Open any text field, tap the emoji button (the smiley face icon), and search for what you want. You can search by name — type "bags" to find the face with bags under the eyes, or "heart hands" to find the hand gesture. You can also browse by category: tap the face icon to see all face emojis, the hand icon for hand gestures, the animal icon for animals, and so on.

The new emojis sync across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch if you're signed into the same Apple ID. When you send them to someone on Android or an older iPhone, they'll see the emoji, but it will display in Google's style rather than Apple's. This is normal — each platform has its own visual design for emojis, but the emoji itself is the same across all devices.

Why Apple releases emojis in updates

Emojis come from the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit organization that sets standards for how text and symbols work across all devices and platforms. Unicode releases new emojis once a year, and Apple incorporates them into iOS updates. iOS 18.5 aligned with Unicode 16.0, which was released in September 2024. Apple's design team then created Apple's visual style for each emoji — the same emoji looks different on iPhone than it does on Android or Windows, but it's the same underlying character.

This matters for security and compatibility because emoji updates are part of the operating system's character set. When you update iOS, you're not just getting new emojis — you're updating the entire system that handles text, symbols, and how your device communicates with other devices. This is why older devices can't display new emojis: they don't have the character data built in. It's also why emojis sent from a newer device sometimes appear as blank boxes on older devices — the receiving device doesn't recognize the character code yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people on older iPhones see the new emojis if I send them?

They'll see something, but not the new emoji. If someone on iOS 18.4 or earlier receives a new iOS 18.5 emoji from you, it will appear as a blank box or a question mark on their device. They can still understand the context from your message, but they won't see the visual. Once they update to iOS 18.5, the emoji will display correctly.

Can I use new emojis on my Mac or iPad?

Yes, if they're running the corresponding OS version. macOS 15.5 and iPadOS 18.5 include the same 118 new emojis. They sync across your devices if you're signed into the same Apple ID, so an emoji you use on your iPhone will appear in your recent emojis on your Mac.

Do I have to update to iOS 18.5 to get the new emojis?

Yes. The new emojis are only available on iOS 18.5 and later. If you're on iOS 18.4 or earlier, you won't see them in your keyboard until you update. You can check your current iOS version in Settings > General > About.

Why does the same emoji look different on my iPhone and my friend's Android phone?

Each platform designs its own visual style for emojis. Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft all create different artwork for the same emoji character. The emoji itself — the underlying code — is identical, but how it appears on screen depends on which company's design you're using. This is intentional and normal.

Can I request new emojis for future iOS updates?

You can submit proposals to the Unicode Consortium, which is the organization that decides which emojis get added. Apple doesn't take direct emoji requests, but Unicode accepts proposals from anyone. The process takes time — proposals are reviewed, discussed, and voted on by the Unicode Technical Committee before they're approved for a future release.