Fix Predictive emoji not working on iPhone & iPad (iOS 26)

🗓️ July 24, 2025, By ✍️ Karly Wood

Is your predictive emoji not showing up on your iPhone or iPad after a software update or a brand new device? You’re not alone — many users are running into this annoying glitch. In this article, we’ll walk you through the top fixes to get predictive emoji suggestions working again, including keyboard settings, cache clearing, and software updates. Let’s get those emojis rolling!

How to Use Predictive Emoji on Keyboard on iPhone,iPad

To use this feature on your iOS & iPadOS device, you have enabled the Emoji keyboard and Predictive text on your iPhone Keyboard. Let’s see how to enable and use it.

Solution 1. Is the Emoji Keyboard missing on iPhone, iPad? Add now,

iPhone Emoji Keyboard missing? Technically, the Emoji Keyboard is present on your device, it’s just you haven’t added in your current keyboard. Here’s how to add Emoji Keyboard on iPhone and iPad.

  1. Grab your iPhone and tap on the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down a bit and tap on “General.”
  3. Inside General, find and select “Keyboard.”
open keyboard settings on iPhone
  1. At the top, you’ll see “Keyboards.” Tap it to see all the keyboards you currently have added.
  2. Tap on “Add New Keyboard…” at the bottom.
  3. Scroll through the list until you find “Emoji,” then tap it. That’s it — your Emoji keyboard is now added.
settings screen to Add new emoji keyboard on iPhone
  1. Open up Messages, Notes, or any app that uses the keyboard. Tap the little globe or smiley face icon on your keyboard to switch over to emojis.

Now you’re all set to use emojis anywhere on your iPhone. If you ever want to remove it, you can just go back into Keyboards, tap Edit, and delete the Emoji keyboard.

Solution 2. Ensure that Predictive Text is enabled on your iPhone

The predictive text and emoji algorithm is very smart on iOS and iPadOS. As we type in the send box, we can see extra emoji suggestions that help with typing relevant words. To do this, we need to enable the option in the Keyboard settings.

  1. Open the Settings app on iPhone > Tap General > hit on Keyboard.
  2. Now, scroll to the Predictive Text that appears under the All Keyboards section. Turn the toggle green next to Predictive Text.
how to enable Predictive Text on iPhone keyboard settings

Solution 3. Refresh the emoji keyboard

To fix the predictive emoji problem on your iPhone or iPad, try refreshing the emoji keyboard. Just remove it from your keyboard list, then add it back again in Settings.

  1. Tap on the Settings app on your home screen.
  2. Scroll down and tap on “General.”
  3. Then select “Keyboard
open keyboard settings on iPhone
  1. Tap on “Keyboards” at the top.
  2. Tap “Edit” in the top right.
  3. Find “Emoji” in the list and tap the red minus button. Then, tap Delete. Lastly, tap the tick mark above to save the change.
how to delete emoji keyboard on iPhone settings
  1. Now tap “Add New Keyboard…” Scroll down and select “Emoji.”
  2. Open Messages or Notes, start typing, and see if predictive emoji shows up again.

That’s it. This quick refresh often clears up any glitches with the predictive emoji keyboard on iOS or iPadOS.

Solution 4. Trigger emoji suggestions in each app

Open the Messages or Notes or any social media app, type a few words, then insert 10–20 emojis; delete them, then type a word like “heart” to prompt predictive emojis.

Solution 5. Just send one emoji

Some users have found that simply typing and sending just one emoji in the app where predictive emoji isn’t working can actually jumpstart the feature again. It’s like it reminds the keyboard to start suggesting emojis based on your text. While it’s not a permanent fix, it often gets predictive emoji working at least for a while.

Solution 6. Reset keyboard dictionary

Resetting the Keyboard Dictionary often helps fix issues with predictive emoji not showing up on iOS. It clears out old typing data so your keyboard can start fresh and suggest emojis properly again.

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap General.
  3. Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
settings to get Transfer or Reset iPhone screen on iOS and iPados
  1. Tap Reset.
  2. Select Reset Keyboard Dictionary from the list.
  3. Enter your passcode if prompted, then confirm to Reset Dictionary.
settings screen to reset keyboard dictionary on iPhone and iPad

That’s it—your keyboard dictionary is now cleared and reset.

Solution 7. Toggle “Stickers” off, then on

Toggling the Stickers feature off and on may resolve emoji prediction issues in iOS & iPadOS.

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap General.
  3. Tap Keyboard.
open keyboard settings on iPhone
  1. Find the option labeled Stickers.
  2. Toggle it off, wait a couple of seconds, then toggle it back on.
how to turn on stickers in ios keyboard settings

That’s it. This quick reset can help get predictive emoji working again.

Example Test for Predictive Emoji Usage

  • On any messaging app, open the keyboard, start typing, and watch as emojis appear in the predictions. This feature is called Predictive Emoji.
use-emoji-in-predictive-text-on-iphone-keyboard

Tips: Remove Memojis from Emoji Keyboard on iPhone.

Why is Predictive Emoji Not Working on my iPhone, iPad?

As I said, the predictive emoji feature entirely depends upon your past conversations. If you haven’t used any emoji while texting someone, then the keyboard will not show any predictive emojis, assuming that you are not Emoji type person. This can be a true reason why predictive emoji not working on your iPhone.

Therefore, I would advise you to use the Emojis more frequently for a day or two, the iPhone will automatically start to show the predictive emojis.

Share your opinion about this Beautiful feature Predictive emoji on Keyboard from iPhone/ iPad.

Karly Wood
Karly Wood

Karly Wood is a journalist based in Ohio who specializes in covering Apple and technology trends. With a varied experience in reporting on public safety, government, and education, her insights bridge multiple disciplines, providing readers with a well-rounded perspective on today's technological advancements. If you need to contact me, you can reach me at karlywood.ohio@gmail.com or through (Facebook)

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