For folks who have a liking for fun-loving emojis, “Genmoji” is an exciting feature. What makes it such a hot new add-on is the ability to let you create custom emojis on demand. Unfortunately, a handful of users have reported that Genmoji is not working on their iPhones or iPads. If this issue has hit your path as well, check out these 17 reliable tips to resolve the problem.

Fix Genmoji Not Working on iPhone & iPad

From hardware incompatibility to a software glitch to a frustrating content restriction to a hidden blockade, there are several reasons why Genmoji seems to be broken on your device. Now, look into each possible culprit and get rid of it with the recommended solution.

1. Make Sure Your Device Meets the Hardware & Software Requirement

• Bear in mind that Apple Intelligence-driven Genmoji requires A17 Pro and a higher chip or Apple M1 and a higher chip. Therefore, make sure your device is in line with this feature.
• As for the software requirement, be sure your device is running iOS 18.2/iPadOS 18.2 or later.
• It’s worth pointing out that Apple Intelligence is currently not available in the EU.

Note:

• Even if you have a compatible device in a supported region, you will have to first join a waitlist for Apple Intelligence features (Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri). Once your access has been granted, Apple will notify you.

• Your iPhone and Siri must be set to the same language for Apple Intelligence to work.

2. Can You View Genmoji on an Unsupported Device? Yes/No

• Though Genmojis are designed to support iOS 18.2/iPadOS 18.2 devices, you can view them on devices running iOS/iPadOS 18.1 and earlier and macOS Sequoia 15.1 and earlier.
• On Android or older Apple devices, Genmojis show up as regular images and not inline emoji characters.
• Third-party apps can add Genmoji support.

3. Right Way to Create Custom Emoji in Messages on iPhone and iPad

• To get going, launch the Messages app and head over to a conversation thread.
• Now, tap on the emoji icon located in the bottom-left corner of the keyboard.
• In the emoji search field, you need to describe the type of emoji you would like to create.
• Alternatively, you can hit the colored smiling emoji located at the far right and then input your description.
• After that, tap “Create New Emoji”.
• Next, wait for a moment or two for the amorphous blob to take the avatar of your all-new emoji.
• Next up, use the navigational symbols to swipe left to preview multiple versions of the created emojis.

• Then, tap on the triple-dot icon to add a caption to your custom emoji. Or, you can directly save the emoji as a sticker.
• If you are pleased with your selection, tap on the Add option.
• Finally, tap on the arrow button to send your Genmoji.
• To ward off foul play, Apple has set up content restrictions for Genmoji; pretty much in tune with the ones with Image Playground.

Note:

• If you want to create a Genmoji based on a photo, input the name of the person you’ve identified in your photo library. After that, add a description. For instance, “Rajesh celebrating his 28th birthday” > tap “Choose a Person” > select the person identified in your Photos library and then select the desired variation.

4. Switch to Supported Language

As of now, Apple Intelligence-powered features work with only a few selected languages including:

• English (US)
• English (Canada)
• English (New Zealand)
• English (Ireland)
• English (UK)
• English (South Africa)
• English (Australia)

Head into the Settings app on your device > General > Language & Region > Region > United States or other supported language. Once you have selected the supported language, restart your device.

5. Ensure That You are Using the Supported Keyboard

Make sure you are using a supported keyboard.

• Bring up the onscreen keyboard by tapping on the text field > touch and hold onto the globe icon and select “English (US) or the one that works with Apple Intelligence.

6. Force Quit the Messages App

If there is a minor software glitch, force-quitting the Messages app will let you resolve the Genmoji problem.

• On your iPhone/iPad, swipe up from the Home Bar > Swipe up the Messages app card.
• After that, launch the Messages and check if Genmoji has begun to work as expected.

7. Enable/Disable Airplane Mode

Genmoji creation requires a strong and stable internet connection. Therefore, check if your cellular/Wi-Fi connection is running at the desired speed. If it seems to be sluggish, you can use the airplane mode to temporarily fix the internet sluggishness. 

• Swipe down from the upper right to access the Control Center and tap on the Airplane mode icon. After waiting for a few seconds, disable the airplane mode by tapping on its icon. 

8. Reboot Your iPhone

If Genmoji creation tends to get stuck mid-way and fails to generate emojis abruptly, a random software glitch might be at the forefront of the problem. The best way to flush out such a glitch is to reboot your device. Should the problem persist, give a chance to hard reset as well.

9. Ensure That Genmoji is Not Blocked On Your Device

Buried inside the Screen Time setting is a native way to block Genmoji on iPhone and iPad. Be sure you have not blocked the path of Genmoji on your device – whether by intention or accident.

• Go to the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Intelligence & Siri > Image Creation and choose Allow.

10. Make Sure Emoji Keyboard Is Active on Your Device

Is the emoji icon missing from the software keyboard on your iPhone? Activate the emoji keyboard and offer it the needed freedom to run. 

• To enable the emoji keyboard, launch the Settings app > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
• Tap on the “Add New Keyboard”.
• Under the Suggested Keyboards section, choose Emoji. 
• If prompted, make sure to allow the full access to the emoji keyboard. 

11. Turn OFF the Low Data Mode

“Low Data Mode” is a very helpful feature designed to let you cut down unnecessary data usage so that your limited bandwidth does not run out of steam unexpectedly. However, be fully aware of the fact that it affects the functionality of several features including the background activity which often result in frustrating error messages. 

• To take control of this data mode, launch the Settings app > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode. For a smooth functioning, choose the Standard option.

12. Disable the Low Power Button

“Low Power Mode” has the full license of throttling intensive features in order to extend the battery life of your device. In an attempt ot boost the battery life of your iPhone, it might be giving very little freedom to Genmoji to work.

• To turn off this power-saving feature, launch the Settings app and choose Battery. 
• Disable the toggle for Low Power Mode and try generating emojis to find out if you have eventually beat the hurdle. 

13. Disable/Enable iMessage

Many a time, you can bring the ill-functioning Genmoji back on track by turning it off and back on.

• Head into the Settings app on your iPhone > Apps > Messages > Turn off the toggle for iMessage.
• Restart your iPhone and then turn the iMessage toggle back on.

14. Why Not Reset the Network Settings?

Botched up network connection could be a hidden villain as well. The right way to take on such a problem on iPhone is to flush out the corrupted network settings and bring them back to the default state. 

• To wipe out the existing network settings, open the Settings app > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad. 
• Now, a menu with multiple reset options will appear. Choose Reset Network Settings in the menu and then input your device passcode to authenticate.

15. Check iMessage servers

Are iMessage servers running as usual? Go to Apple’s System Status page and make sure iMessage servers are live and kicking. If it has been caught in an outage or a technical issue, wait until Apple sorts out the problem. 

16. Update Software

Should Genmoji continue to malfunction, try updating the software as a bug might be making life difficult for this new iMessage feature.

• On your iPhone, go to the Settings app > General > Software Update.

17. Factory Reset Your Device

Factory resets come in handy when getting rid of botched-up configurations that tend to cause problems. By eliminating the entire custom settings such as Lock Screen customization and Home Screen layouts, it puts everything back to the default state. However, it goes about the cleanup of custom settings, making sure none of your precious media and data is deleted.

• Go to the Settings app > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad > Reset > Reset All Settings.

• After your device has rebooted, try creating a custom emoji to figure out if it has returned to normal.

Once your iPhone has been updated, check if Genmoji has begun to work on the expected line. Most probably, it should be back to normal. More often than not, you can take control of its problem by smartly navigating the content restrictions and keeping the blockade in mind.