Apple iOS 27 is not coming soon: But new Emojis for iPhone are already in the works

Apple iOS 27 will bring new emojis to iPhone users in India, but the iOS 27 emojis are expected to arrive months after the main software update. The next significant iOS release will be iOS 27, but this will not be released until later in the year 2026, about September as is the common time of year Apple releases significant iOS versions. But there is preliminary activity on one small yet hugely expected portion of that update: some new emojis that might appear on iPhones under iOS 27 or a later point release.

The Unicode Consortium, the standards organisation that sets the emoji characters of phones across the globe, is laying the groundwork now. A preview of possible new emojis - a section of new Emoji 18.0 (Unicode 18) standard - was recently released, which provides an initial glimpse of potential emoji contenders which Apple and other platform manufacturers might embrace.

Unicode 18 and Emoji 18.0: Why Apple iOS 27 Emoji update is taking shape

The Unicode Consortium, which controls emoji standards worldwide, plays a key role in every Apple emoji update, including the upcoming iOS 27 emoji refresh. Emoji 18.0 has at least nine emoji concepts in the list it will use that are faces, objects and gestures. These emojis are under consideration and may still evolve into the final one before the year 2026. According to the Emoji 18.0 draft under Unicode 18, Apple may introduce these new emojis on iPhone with a future iOS 27 update.

The proposed emojis include:

• Smiley face with squinting eyes

• Leftward thumb sign gesture

• Rightward thumb sign gesture

• Monarch butterfly

• Pickle

• Lighthouse

• Meteor

• Eraser (for pencil marks)

• Net with handle
  
  

The Unicode Consortium provides these draft designs which still require ratification and subsequent implementation by platform manufacturers such as Apple using their own style.

Alongside these nine base emojis, the prototype suggests an extra 10 colour variants of the base emojis, which could be proposed to be added to the total amount of emoji characters incorporated in the final version to about 19.

Apple iOS 27 Emoji update timeline: When will new Emojis reach iPhones in India?

For iPhone users in India, the Apple iOS 27 emoji update is more likely to arrive through a later iOS 27 point release such as iOS 27.4 in early 2027. The approval process of Unicode usually takes months. Unicode 18.0 has a draft that is due to be finalised by September 2026. Once the approval is complete, Apple will start to write its own versions of the new emojis to suit the visual language of iOS.

But as a rule, Apple does not add new Unicode emojis to the first major iOS release. They are instead added subsequently in a point update. As an example, the previous extensions related to Unicode 17 are likely to come with iOS 26.4 in March to April 2026.

Following the same trend, the Emoji 18.0 characters would either be released with iOS 27.4 or a minor incremental update with a similar number in early 2027. While Apple iOS 27 is still months away, the groundwork for new emojis on iPhone has already begun through Unicode 18. The iOS 27 emoji update may arrive later, but it remains one of the most anticipated features for Apple users in India.

Why Emojis don’t appear immediately with new iOS versions

Many users wonder why new emojis on iPhone do not appear immediately with a major Apple iOS update like iOS 27. The gradual introduction is a replication of the way Apple is doing emoji support:

• Unicode adds new characters and issues a draft.

• Upon approval, Apple designers design Apple-branded images of every emoji.

• These are bundled into an update in iOS in the future.
  
  

This is a multi-stage process that makes sure that devices are compatible, and that is why emojis related to a new Unicode standard are regularly available several months after the underlying operating system is released.

Apple software in 2026

The updates to the emoji can be seen as a minor issue, yet it belongs to the software roadmap that Apple has as the company plans iOS 27 that will support other important features associated with the development of the Apple ecosystem in the future, as well as it can be included in the software package released along with newer hardware including foldable iPhones and updated MacBooks later in the year. Nevertheless, one of the first additions that are to be confirmed is the improvements of emojis in iOS 27-era. 

Disclaimer: The information regarding the gadgets/devices listed in the table and article has been sourced from various secondary sources. For detailed product specifications, please refer to the brand sources.