AI-Powered Generative Emoji Are On Their Way In iOS 18

With the iOS 18 upgrade, Apple is apparently preparing to provide a few significant new features for the iPhone. The new operating system is anticipated to be unveiled by the Cupertino, California-based tech giant on June 10 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. According to a recent rumor, the company may roll out bespoke emojis driven by artificial intelligence (AI) that appear based on the content of the message the user is sending. Additionally, users could be able to customize app icons by recoloring them to their preference.

According to the Power On newsletter by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is going to introduce multiple new iPhone features with the iOS 18. While many of these features could leverage AI, some of them would also add more customisation to the existing interface. Coming to the AI feature first, Gurman claims that custom emojis could be unveiled at WWDC 24. AI features have become a big talking point for Apple. The company was previously reported to add AI-powered conversational skills to Siri. Now, Gurman claims iPhone users will also see AI features when they type a text in a messaging app. iOS 18 could introduce AI-powered custom emojis, which would be outside of the existing emoji library users get.

Explaining how the feature might work, the report claims custom emojis can be created automatically based on what the user is typing. For example, if a user types “Happy Diwali”, the AI might be able to understand the text and suggest a unique emoji relating to the Indian festival. The report did not mention whether there will be any guidelines to stop people from abusing the feature and generating obscene emojis.

Reportedly, the iPhone Home Screen will also get a big upgrade. Apple could ditch the standard grid for apps that has existed since the first iPhone and allow users to place app icons wherever they want. Further, users might also be able to recolour app icons. The latter could help group similar apps. For example, all social media apps can be changed to the same colour for ease of identification. The ability to place icons anywhere will also let users bring out their creativity and set icons as per their preferences. These and more could be in store for the iPhone on June 10 when Apple officially unveils iOS 18.