Apple has released beta 4 for iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS (Tahoe) 26.4, and it comes with eight new emojis for users to enjoy. Note that you won’t have automatic access to these developer betas, but ever since Apple removed a $99/year fee a couple of years ago, they’re freely available to download here, assuming your device is compatible.

Thankfully, Apple made following these updates easier back when it decided to unify the version numbers, starting with version 26. It’s typical for Apple to add new emojis into the mix during these mid-version (like .4) OS builds, and the latest comes with new emoji characters from the Unicode 17 update first introduced last September.

8 new emojis in iOS 26.4, plus new skin tones

• Distorted Face
• Fight Cloud
• Ballet Dancer (includes full skin tone support)
• Hairy Creature (Bigfoot)
• Orca
• Landslide
• Trombone
• Treasure Chest

In addition to the emojis above, new skin tone modifiers are available for the ‘People Wrestling‘ and ‘People with Bunny Ears‘. A gender neutral option for the ‘Ballet Dancer‘ emoji has also been added. With all the different emojis and skin tone variations, there’s a total of 163 new emoji designs in iOS 26.4, iPad 26.4, and macOS 26.4.

Which iPhones are compatible with iOS 26.4?

• iPhone 11 series
• iPhone SE (2nd gen & 3rd gen)
• iPhone 12 series
• iPhone 13 series
• iPhone 14 series
• iPhone 16 series
• iPhone 17 series
• iPhone Air

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.