How to Create Custom Genmoji in iOS 18

Apple Intelligence introduces Genmoji in iOS 18, allowing users to generate brand-new, customized emoji directly from the keyboard using natural language descriptions. This feature goes beyond the standard Unicode character set, letting you craft expressive characters, mashups, and personalized stickers on demand. Below is a guide to the best custom prompt concepts and prompt engineering strategies to create tailored Genmoji that match any mood, conversation, or context.

People and Personalized Avatars

Genmoji can reference people from your Photos library or generate entirely new characters based on physical attributes, professions, and hobbies.

• Contact-Based Actions: "Mom surfing a giant wave" or "David wearing an oversized chef hat tasting soup."
• Costumed Characters: "A knight in shining armor drinking boba tea" or "A wizard looking nervously at an alarm clock."
• Hyper-Specific Archetypes: "A tired software engineer surrounded by floating lines of code" or "A 90s skater wearing baggy jeans and neon sunglasses."

Animal Mashups and Anthropomorphic Concepts

Animals are among the most versatile subjects for Genmoji, especially when given human traits, clothing, or unique accessories.

• Dressed-Up Pets: "A golden retriever wearing thick-rimmed glasses and reading a book" or "A grumpy bulldog dressed in a ballerina tutu."
• Mythical and Unlikely Combinations: "A tiny dragon roasting a marshmallow on its breath" or "A capybara floating on an inner tube with sunglasses."
• Working Animals: "A cat wearing a business suit pointing at a blank spreadsheet" or "A raccoon acting as a private investigator with a trench coat and magnifying glass."

Food and Everyday Objects with Emotion

Standard emojis offer limited food and object interactions. Genmoji lets you combine culinary items, tools, and expressions into singular graphics.

• Emotional Foods: "A crying slice of pizza with cheese stretching like tears" or "A cheerful taco doing a victory dance."
• Daily Routines: "A steaming coffee cup with hearts rising from the foam" or "A dying smartphone battery gasping for breath."
• Playful Hybrids: "A disco ball shaped like a fresh strawberry" or "A potted succulent blooming miniature lightbulbs."

Complex Emotions and Abstract Reactions

When traditional smileys fail to capture nuanced emotions, descriptive prompts help create micro-expressions that accurately convey tone.

• Burnout and Fatigue: "A smiley face melting into a colorful puddle on the floor" or "A brain lifting tiny, heavy dumbbells while sweating."
• Overwhelming Joy: "A laughing emoji with sparkling starburst eyes and confetti exploding from the head."
• Awkwardness and Anxiety: "A face biting its fingernails wrapped in a tight cozy blanket" or "An emoji slowly sinking into the ground like quicksand."

Framework for Writing Effective Genmoji Prompts

To get the most accurate results from the generator, construct your prompts using a four-part structure: Subject + Emotion/Expression + Action + Key Accessory.

• Instead of prompting "angry cat," use "a ginger cat glaring angrily while wearing boxing gloves."
• Instead of prompting "tired," use "a yellow smiley face with heavy eye bags clutching a massive espresso cup."

Keeping prompts concise (typically between 5 and 15 words) ensures that the on-device AI focuses on the core visual elements without cluttering the final output.