Apple has introduced nine new emoji characters in the fourth iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS Tahoe 26.4 betas released to developers. The additions include a trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature (Bigfoot), fight cloud, orca, and landslide. The update also brings new skin tone modifiers for wrestling and bunny ear dancers, plus a gender-neutral option for the ballet dancer emoji.

These emoji are part of the Unicode 17 update previewed by the Unicode Consortium in fall 2025. Apple typically takes several months to implement new emoji since custom artwork must be created for each character. The company historically adds updated emoji to devices in spring .4 software updates, following a pattern established with previous releases.

Apple last expanded its emoji library in iOS 18.4 with additions like bags under eyes face, fingerprint, leafless tree, and harp. Looking ahead, iOS 27 is expected to include Unicode 18 emoji such as a squinting face, monarch butterfly, pickle, lighthouse, and meteor. The spring emoji rollout remains a predictable part of Apple's software update cycle.