Standard Unicode emojis cover thousands of everyday expressions, food items, animals, and symbols, but they frequently fall short when you want to illustrate a highly specific mood, inside joke, or unique real-world situation. With the release of iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence, Apple resolved this limitation by introducing Genmoji.
Genmoji empowers iPhone users to generate completely custom, AI-crafted emoji characters simply by typing a natural language prompt directly into the keyboard. Powered by Apple’s on-device diffusion models, Genmoji renders characters in the authentic Apple emoji visual design language, behaving just like native Unicode glyphs inline with text.
What Makes Genmoji Different from Stickers?
Unlike standard image stickers or third-party digital avatars that paste as large square picture attachments, Genmoji is treated by iOS as an inline typography element:
- Inline Flow: Genmojis sit naturally alongside written words within sentences, matching font sizes and text line heights.
- Tapback Support: You can apply any created Genmoji as a custom Tapback reaction to respond to incoming messages in iMessage.
- Friend and Family Personas: You can create Genmojis inspired by friends and family members by linking their photo profiles from the People album in Photos.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: When sent to non-Apple devices or older operating systems that lack Apple Intelligence diffusion renderers, iOS automatically converts the Genmoji into a high-quality sticker format with rich alt-text metadata.
System Requirements and Supported Devices
Generating Genmoji requires on-device neural processing hardware capable of running Apple’s generative image diffusion models:
- Supported iPhone Hardware: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model (powered by the A17 Pro or A18 silicon).
- Software: iOS 18.2 or later with Apple Intelligence enabled under Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri.
- Storage: Adequate on-device local storage to host Apple’s generative media weights.
How to Create a Genmoji Directly from the Keyboard
Creating a bespoke Genmoji during a conversation takes just a few seconds:
- Open the Messages app (or any messaging app supporting rich text input) and tap the message composition field.
- Tap the Emoji button in the bottom-left corner of the software keyboard to open the emoji picker.
- Tap the Describe an Emoji field located at the top of the emoji search bar.
- Type a descriptive prompt detailing the emoji you want to produce. For example:
- “Astronaut drinking coffee on the moon”
- “Cat wearing a chef hat baking a baguette”
- “Smiley face wearing oversized neon sunglasses”
- Tap the Create New Emoji button that appears.
- Apple Intelligence begins generating candidate options. Swipe horizontally across the results carousel to preview stylistic variations.
- If you want to refine the output, tweak your written prompt in the text box.
- Tap Insert to place the Genmoji directly into your message draft, or tap Add to Stickers to save it permanently in your sticker drawer for future use.
Creating Genmoji Based on Real People
One of the most engaging aspects of Genmoji is producing characters modelled after real acquaintances:
- In the Genmoji creation prompt bar, include the name of someone stored in your Photos app (e.g. “Dad grilling burgers in a superhero cape”).
- Apple Intelligence will prompt you to select the matching individual from your recognised People & Pets album in Photos.
- Choose the reference photo that best captures their typical hairstyle and features.
- Apple Intelligence stylises their likeness into the iconic Apple 3D emoji illustration style, preserving their unique facial structure while adhering to classic emoji aesthetics.
- Tap Insert to send the personalized Genmoji into your chat.
Genmoji vs Traditional Unicode Emojis Comparison
| Feature Factor | Standard Unicode Emojis | Apple Intelligence Genmoji |
|---|---|---|
| Variety | Fixed catalogue (updated annually via Unicode Consortium) | Infinite; generated on-demand from any descriptive text |
| Personalisation | Generic skin tones and hair colours | Fully personalised characters modelled after friends and family |
| Text Alignment | Inline character glyph | Inline character glyph in compatible apps (iMessage, Notes) |
| Creation Speed | Instant pre-rendered font file | Rendered on-device within 2 to 4 seconds |
| Tapback Compatibility | Supported natively | Supported natively in iOS 18 |
Managing and Deleting Saved Genmojis
Every Genmoji you create is automatically saved in your personal Sticker and Emoji library so you can reuse favourite characters without retyping prompts:
- Open your keyboard and switch to the Emoji picker.
- Swipe left to navigate into your Stickers and Genmoji section.
- Touch and hold any created Genmoji to open its contextual menu.
- Tap Delete to remove unwanted designs, or rearrange items to keep your most frequently used creations front and centre.