• A viral post that claimed Apple was bringing pop star emojis to iOS 18.5 has officially been labeled as false
• The parody account on X, Drop Pop, started the rumor when it posted a very convincing image of celebrity emojis that included Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and more
• It managed to convince users online that it was a legitimate update, garnering millions of views across different social media platforms

iOS 18.4 has only just dropped, and users are still basking in the features that are new to Apple’s quietly big iPhone upgrade - which includes eight brand-new emojis. But users are already looking ahead to iOS 18.5, and after much speculation about Apple’s next wave of emojis, I’m sorry to say that no, pop star emojis won’t be coming to your iPhone.

A post on social media showing mock-ups of celebrity emojis went viral, convincing people online that they would arrive in the next iPhone update. It spread like wildfire across different platforms, and after raising the hopes of pop fans everywhere, it turns out it was a lie all along.

The claim: Apple is bringing pop star emojis to its next iOS 18.5 update

It all started in the same way most unhinged online moments do - with one image from an account run by a pop-obsessed individual.

If you’re not chronically online like myself, you may have missed the image that made it seem as if Apple were gearing up to introduce emojis of the biggest female artists, including Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and more. It was first shared on X by the pop culture account Drop Pop and garnered mass attention across social media.

Since it was posted, the celebrity emojis have received a total of 41.7 million views on X as well as accumulating 110k likes and 3.6k replies. Despite Apple not having made any kind of announcement, the account did a really good job at portraying it as realistically as possible, going the full length and including the Apple logo.

The post managed to persuade millions that this was a legitimate update from Apple, sparking many humorous responses and reactions from online creators, and even almost two weeks after it was shared, it’s still making rounds. As unique and humorous it would be if Apple ever did such a thing, the post is completely false - here’s why.

@kdotfan727

lana del rey, beyonce, ?, ?, nicki, gaga, taylor, (ari?😭) like someone help

♬ Ode to Joy- Symphony No.9 in D Minor 'choral' - Lorne Balfe & Russell Emanuel & Steve Kofsky

The reality: it was a rumor sparked by a pop culture news parody account on X

When it comes to the pop star emojis rumor, the main issue is the source account.

One of the most popular types of accounts on platforms such as X are parody pop culture news accounts, which take existing celebrity images and use them to make realistic-looking posts with the most bizarre news headlines solely for comedic and satirical purposes.

What's the emoji for 'fake'?

Drop Pop is one of these accounts, which the majority of gullible people failed to notice when they saw the emoji post. And it’s there in black and white in Drop Pop’s ‘About’ section, which states the account is a “parody/ satirical pop culture news outlet, solely and only meant for entertainment purposes. Nothing on this account represents factual news”.

Whether these pop star emojis are all AI-generated, or whether an obsessed fan took the time to design them we don’t know, the realism is rather impressive regardless - but even I had to look twice before realizing it was completely made up.

Though it would've been an even more internet-breaking moment if Apple went ahead and developed these emojis, I can't say it hasn't been fun endlessly scrolling through all the reactions online. But you never know; Apple could tap into this idea for a future software update. I'm not saying never.

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