iOS 16.4 Beta Adds New Emoji Like Donkey, Jellyfish, Pink Heart, Hyacinth, Ginger, Goose, Shaking Face and More

The iOS 16.4 beta that was released today introduces new Unicode 15 emoji characters, adding new emoji options for the first time in more than a year.

ios 16 4 emoji characters
New emoji characters include shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, donkey, moose, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, flute, maracas, black bird, and more.

These new emoji options were first proposed in July 2022 and then were released in the new Unicode standard in September 2022. It often takes Apple several months to implement new emoji characters because the company's designers need to create the icons based on the information provided by the Unicode Consortium.

The emoji characters are available in the iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3 betas, which can be downloaded by developers. Apple will likely make a public beta available in the near future, but it will likely be several weeks before the software updates see an official release.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Siri Finder Feature

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Macworld claims to have access to an internal version of iOS 26 that references several upcoming...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

eilavid Avatar
37 months ago

I’m so glad to see Apple focusing on the important things.
As usual, Apple does not decide on which emojis to include. And people working on Mac hardware do not design these emojis.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
37 months ago
The Pink heart emoji took Apple 5 years. The first emoji kinda looks like this. Bravo! ???



Attachment Image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Akrapovic Avatar
37 months ago
God this thread is ridiculous.

"HomePods are going to trash. Who is in charge here?"

Do you think graphics designers are responsible for HomePod firmware? If you do, you don't get to have an opinion on this subject.

"What's the point in these?"

Conforming to Unicode standards. You'd be the first to whine when someone sends you a message and you just get a blank square because your phone doesn't support modern Unicode standards.

Jesus christ people.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
37 months ago
What’s the point of these exactly, there’s to many anyways, who needs them
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
37 months ago
Thank god, I've been waiting for donkeymoji for 20 years!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
37 months ago

New emoji characters include shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, donkey, moose, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, flute, maracas, black bird, and more.
I’m so glad to see Apple focusing on the important things.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)