What is Genmoji? How to use Genmoji to create emoji?

Apple adds new emoji every year, but somehow the ones that many people really want never make it in. Luckily, Genmoji lets you take matters into your own hands by creating your own emoji.

What is Genmoji? How to use it effectively?

One Apple Intelligence feature that Apple announced at WWDC 2024 is Genmoji, which lets users create their own emoji using a text prompt. So if you're having trouble finding the perfect emoji to express your emotions or want something more unique, you can now create one.

Like all Apple Intelligence features , Genmoji is only available on certain Apple Intelligence-compatible devices. These features weren’t released when iOS 18 first launched, and Apple has been rolling them out gradually over each update. Genmoji, in particular, was introduced with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.3.

So if you have a compatible device updated to iOS or iPadOS 18.2 or macOS Sequoia 15.3 (check by going to Settings > General > About ) and have Apple Intelligence turned on, you can quickly create custom emoji. Here's what you need to do:

1. Open a text-based app like Messages, Apple Notes, Google Docs, or Slack and tap in a text field.
2. Once your keyboard appears, switch to the emoji keyboard by tapping the smiley face icon in the lower left corner.
3. Tap the shiny Genmoji icon next to the Describe an Emoji search bar .
4. Tap the Describe an Emoji text field and describe the emoji you want to create. Then tap Done .
5. Within seconds, Apple Intelligence will generate several variations of the emoji you requested. You can swipe left and right to see them.
6. If you find an icon that fits your vision, tap the Add button in the upper right corner. Otherwise, to fine-tune your Genmoji, simply edit the description.

After testing this feature a few times, it turns out that the key to getting the emoji to match expectations is to describe it in as much detail as possible.

For example, instead of just typing “iced coffee,” you can be more specific by typing something like “a tall iced coffee with whipped cream on top and a straw.” The more specific you are, the more accurate your Genmoji will be.

While Genmoji is certainly fun to experiment with, it does have its drawbacks.

Sometimes Genmoji doesn't look like Apple's emoji

It’s no secret that Apple has a habit of borrowing features that Android devices have had for years. But unlike simple copying, Apple often creates things themselves, and often does them better. That’s why not many people expect an Apple feature to look exactly the same on an Android device.

Instead of following Apple's signature emoji style, Genmoji sometimes looks like a weird mix of iOS and Android emoji. Take this result, for example. When I tried to create a "rolling on the floor laughing" emoji, Genmoji produced this:

Similarly, here's one of the options when you want the "crying face with big tears streaming down" emoji:

Here is the result that comes up when typing "tired face wearing glasses and holding a pen":

These emoji don't look like the regular emoji you see on your iPhone. The colors seem darker than Apple's usual yellow, the shadows are oversaturated, and overall, something just... doesn't feel right.

Genmoji adds unwanted details to your emoji

If you’ve experimented with any AI art generator before, you’ve probably noticed its tendency to add extra details you never asked for. Genmoji is no different, as it often includes elements that have nothing to do with your initial prompt. For example, here’s one of the results when trying to create a “drooling face” emoji:

Similarly, this is the first option that comes up when typing "stressed face with a tear":

Despite making it clear that he wanted a single teardrop, both the first and third results had two tears.

Here's a funny example - the author tried to create an emoji for "ice coffee without whipped cream, ice and a straw", but instead got an ice coffee with whipped cream. And for some reason, every option had a smiley face plastered over it.

Genmoji doesn't work on most third-party apps

The unwanted details are grudgingly acceptable. All you really need to do is edit the description a bit or browse through the built-in options to find an emoji you like. What people find frustrating, however, is the limited options when using Genmoji.

You'll find it in the stickers or recent emoji section after you've created an emoji and switched to the emoji keyboard. Alternatively, you can type the prompt you used to create that emoji into the search bar.

When you send a Genmoji in the Messages app, everything works fine. If you add it to your text, it appears just like any other emoji once you send it.

But when using third-party apps like WhatsApp or Instagram, as soon as you select Genmoji from the keyboard, it will be sent as a sticker instead.

That’s expected to change, as Apple has mentioned that Genmoji will eventually work like standard emoji. However, since the feature has only recently been made public, it may take some time for that to happen. But once they start working like regular emoji, people will definitely start using Genmoji more often.

While Apple Intelligence is pretty poor so far, the idea behind Genmoji is great and it will be one of the top features in the future.