Apple added eight new standardized emoji to iPhone in iOS 26.4: Distorted Face, Fight Cloud, Hairy Creature (the character commonly called Bigfoot or Sasquatch), Orca, Landslide, Trombone, Treasure Chest and Ballet Dancer. Apple Core appeared in Unicode’s early preview but is absent from the final Unicode 17.0 chart and Apple’s shipped list.
The eight emoji that arrived on iPhone
Apple’s iOS 26.4 update places these Unicode 17.0 additions in the iPhone emoji keyboard. Unicode supplies the standardized character names and keywords; Apple supplies its own artwork.
| Formal name | Common description | Unicode keywords and likely uses |
|---|---|---|
| Distorted Face | A warped, anxious-looking face | Anxiety, bloated, panic, shocked, surprised, vulnerable |
| Fight Cloud | The cartoon cloud used to show a chaotic brawl | Argument, brawl, debate, disagreement, fight, ruckus, wrestle |
| Hairy Creature | Bigfoot, Sasquatch or another cryptid | Bigfoot, cryptid, forest, giant, hairy, Sasquatch, woodwose, yeti |
| Orca | An orca or killer whale | Marine, ocean, whale |
| Landslide | Rock and earth moving down a slope | Avalanche, danger, disaster, earthquake, mountain, mudslide, rocks |
| Trombone | A brass slide instrument | Brass, instrument, jazz, music, sad, slide |
| Treasure Chest | A chest containing valuables | Gem, gold, jewels, loot, money, prize, silver, valuables, wealth |
| Ballet Dancer | A dancer performing ballet | Ballet, dancer, graceful, perform, twirl |
These keywords describe possible uses rather than fixed meanings. People can use each character in whatever context makes sense, and Apple’s design may differ from Unicode’s reference artwork.
What happened to Apple Core?
Apple Core was included in Unicode’s July 2025 preview of the proposed Emoji 17.0 additions. That preview also showed trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature, fight cloud, orca, ballet dancer and landslide. Unicode warned that characters in an upcoming release remained subject to final approval.
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The final outcome is clear: Apple Core does not appear in Unicode’s Emoji 17.0 Recently Added chart, and Apple’s iOS 26.4 support documentation lists eight new emoji without it. It was previewed but apparently dropped before final release; the available official sources do not explain why.
Preview versus final Unicode release
Unicode’s announcement on July 16, 2025, was a look at candidates moving through the release process, not a promise that every pictured character would ship everywhere. The final chart contains the released characters and sequences, including Distorted Face, Fight Cloud, Hairy Creature, Ballet Dancer, Orca, Landslide, Trombone and Treasure Chest. It also includes People with Bunny Ears and People Wrestling entries in its technical list; Apple’s consumer-facing iOS update describes its additions as eight new emoji.
This distinction explains why an article written from the early preview can accurately report what was expected at the time while still being wrong about the final iPhone list. The original Unicode announcement is available at Unicode’s July 2025 blog post.
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When did the emoji become available?
The characters arrived with iOS 26.4, rather than the initial iOS 26 release. Later iOS 26 maintenance updates retain them. Apple says the new characters are available through the system emoji keyboard after the relevant update.
How to find them on an iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Tap General, then Software Update.
- Install iOS 26.4 or a later compatible iOS 26 release.
- Open Messages, Notes or another app with a text field.
- Tap the emoji button or globe key on the keyboard.
- Use the emoji search field for terms such as “Bigfoot,” “orca,” “trombone” or “distorted face,” or browse the relevant category.
Search terms and keyboard labels can vary with language, region and Apple software version. “Bigfoot” and “Sasquatch” are keywords for the formal Unicode name Hairy Creature, so searching either informal term may be more useful than searching the formal name.
If a new emoji does not appear
- Older software: An iPhone below iOS 26.4 cannot show Apple’s implementation in its system keyboard.
- Hardware limits: Some iPhones cannot install iOS 26.
- Keyboard configuration: The emoji keyboard may be disabled or absent from the selected keyboards.
- Search language: A localized keyboard may not recognize an English nickname such as “Bigfoot.” Browse categories or try the formal name.
- Recipient compatibility: A recipient on older software may see an empty box, placeholder or unsupported glyph.
- App rendering: Some third-party apps use their own emoji renderer, sticker system or image treatment.
There are three separate questions: whether Unicode standardized the character, whether Apple included it in its keyboard, and whether a particular app or recipient can render it. The Unicode chart establishes the first; Apple’s support page establishes the second.
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Why Unicode approval does not mean instant iPhone availability
Unicode approves and encodes characters and sequences. Platform companies such as Apple then create artwork and integrate those characters into their operating systems. The same Unicode emoji can therefore look different on Apple, Android, Windows and other platforms, and implementation can arrive months after a Unicode announcement.
Unicode’s chart is reference material, not a guarantee that its sample image is Apple’s final design. Apple’s artwork for iOS 26.4 is its own platform implementation.
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Standard emoji versus Genmoji
These eight additions are standardized Unicode characters intended to function as text across platforms that support them. They are different from Genmoji, Apple’s feature for creating personalized imagery by combining emoji, Genmoji and text descriptions, as described in its iOS 26 announcement.
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- Unicode emoji: Standardized characters that can be transmitted and rendered by compatible systems.
- Genmoji: Apple Intelligence-generated custom imagery with separate device, language, region and feature requirements.
- Stickers or app images: Visual content that may not behave like a text character at all.
That distinction matters when sending a character to someone on another platform: a standard emoji has a defined Unicode identity, while a generated image may be handled more like a picture or sticker.
The corrected answer to the original list
The July 2025 preview was a legitimate forward-looking announcement, but it was not the final iPhone specification. iOS 26.4 shipped eight of the previewed concepts—Hairy Creature, Distorted Face, Fight Cloud, Orca, Landslide, Trombone, Treasure Chest and Ballet Dancer. Apple Core remained out of the final Unicode 17.0 release and Apple’s iOS 26.4 emoji keyboard.
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