Content

• To step
• Tips

This wikiHow teaches you how to update the emoji selection on your iPhone by updating your system software, which has emoji updates associated with it.

To step

1. Connect your iPhone to a charger. When installing system updates, it is best to make sure that your iPhone stays fully charged.
2. Connect to a wireless network. You must be connected to a wireless network before installing system updates as they can be quite large and go through limited data plans quickly.
3. Open the settings of your iPhone. You can find the Settings app on one of your home screens. It may be in a folder labeled "Utilities".
4. Scroll down and tap General.
5. Tap Software Update.
6. Tap Download and install if an update is available. If no update is available, the message "Your software has been updated" is displayed.
   • If your device is up to date have the most recent emoji updates available.
   • Older iOS devices will not get a newer system, so no emoji updates. For example, the iPhone 4S will no longer receive system updates and will not receive emoji released after iOS 9.3.5.
7. Wait for your update to download and install. This can take 20 minutes to over an hour, depending on your connection speed and the size of the update.
   • Your iPhone will restart during the installation process and the Apple logo will be displayed while it is being installed.
8. Open an app in which you use your keyboard. After the update is installed, you can check for your new emoji characters by opening your keyboard.
9. Tap the emoji button. You will see this when the keyboard is open on your screen, to the left of the space bar. It looks like a smiley face.
   • If you have multiple keyboards installed, you may need to press and hold the Globe button to select "Emoji".
   • If you don't see the emoji keyboard, you may need to enable it. Tap Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Emoji.
10. Find your new characters. It may not be immediately clear which characters are new because they are not marked anywhere. You can find the new characters mixed with the old ones in the corresponding categories.

Tips

• Most apps use the system's emoji characters, so updating your system software will allow you to access the new characters in these apps. If for some reason the app doesn't use the iPhone's system keyboard, you will need to update the app from the App Store to access new emojis added by the developers in later releases.