Genmoji Finally Lets Me Create the Emoji I Want—but It Kind of Sucks

Apple adds new emojis every year, yet somehow, the ones I actually want never make the cut. Thankfully, Genmoji lets me take matters into my own hands and create them myself, but after playing around with it, I can’t say I’m impressed.

What Is Genmoji, and How Do I Use It Effectively?

One Apple Intelligence feature Apple announced at WWDC 2024 was Genmoji, which allows you to create yourown emojis using text prompts. So, if you struggle to find the perfect emoji to express your emotions or want something more unconventional, like an upside-down zebra, you can now make it.

Like all Apple Intelligence features, Genmoji is only available on certain devices compatible with Apple Intelligence. These features weren’t released when iOS 18 first dropped, and Apple has been rolling them out gradually with each update. Genmoji, in particular, was introduced alongside 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 (you can check by heading to Settings > General > About) and have Apple Intelligence enabled, you can create custom emojis quickly. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open a text-based app like Messages, Apple Notes, Google Docs, or Slack, and tap a text field.
2. Once your keyboard appears, switch to the emoji keyboard by tapping the smiley icon in the bottom-left corner.
3. Tap the sparkling Genmoji icon next to the Describe an Emoji search bar.
4. Tap the Describe a Genmoji text field and describe the emoji you want to create. I’ve been waiting for an iced coffee emoji for years, so I typed “iced coffee” in this example. Then, tap Done.
5. In a few seconds, Apple Intelligence will generate a few variations of the emoji you requested. You can swipe left and right to view them.
6. If you find one that matches your vision, hit the Add button in the top-right corner. Otherwise, to refine your Genmoji, simply tweak the description.

After playing around with the feature a few times, I realized that the key to getting an emoji that matches your expectations is to describe it in as much detail as possible.

For instance, instead of just typing “iced coffee,” you could be more specific and type something like “a tall glass of 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 play around with, it still has its shortcomings.

Genmojis Sometimes Look Nothing Like Apple Emojis

Now, it’s no secret that Apple has a habit of borrowing features Android devices have had for years. But unlike a straight copy-paste job, Apple usually puts its own spin on things and, from what I’ve noticed, often does it better. That’s why the last thing I expected was for an Apple feature to produce something that looks straight out of an Android device.

Instead of sticking to Apple’s signature emoji style, Genmojis sometimes look like a strange mix between iOS and Android emojis. Take this result, for example. When I tried generating a “rolling on the floor laughing” emoji, Genmoji produced this:

Similarly, this was one of the options when I wanted a “crying face with big, streaming tears” emoji:

Here’s a result that appeared when I typed “a tired face with glasses and a pen”:

I don’t know about you, but these don’t look like the typical emojis you’d find on an iPhone. The color feels darker than Apple’s usual yellow, the shading is oversaturated, and overall, something just feels… off.

It Adds Unwanted Details to Your Emojis

If you’ve ever experimented with any AI art generators before, you’ve probably noticed its tendency to add extra details you never asked for. Genmoji is no different as it often throws in elements that have nothing to do with your original prompt. For instance, this was one of the results when I tried generating a “drooling face” emoji:

Similarly, this was the very first option that appeared when I typed “a stressed face with a single teardrop”:

Despite explicitly clarifying that I’d like a single teardrop, both the first and third result had two teardrops.

Here’s a funny one—I tried generating an “iced coffee without whipped cream, with extra ice and a straw,” but instead, I got an iced coffee with whipped cream. And for some reason, every option had a smiley face plastered on it.

Genmojis Don’t Work on Most Third-Party Apps

I can live with unwanted details. All I’d really need to do is tweak the description slightly or browse more of the generated options to find an emoji I like. What I find frustrating, however, is how limited your choices are when it comes to using Genmojis.

You’ll find it in the stickers or recent emoji section once you’ve created one and switched to the emoji keyboard. Alternatively, you can type the prompt you used to create it in the search bar.

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

But when you’re using a third-party app like WhatsApp or Instagram, the moment you pick a Genmoji from your keyboard, it gets sent as a sticker instead.

This is expected to change, as Apple has mentioned that Genmojis will eventually work just like standard emojis. However, since the feature was only recently made public, I believe it’ll likely take some time for this to happen. But once it does, and they start functioning like regular emojis, I can definitely see myself using Genmojis more often.

Even though I find Apple Intelligence quite underwhelming so far, I like the idea behind Genmoji, and I can see it eventually becoming one of the top features. But for now, it kind of sucks.