Why Are My Emojis so Big? iPhone Users Are Frustrated With the iOS 18 Update

If you've had more than one iPhone in your lifetime, you'll know the renowned Apple phone has plenty of quirks, from its blue bubbles (and its users' judgment of the "green bubble gang") to its evolving updates. Since the phone launched in June 2007, they've been known to grow every year, with each new phone seemingly being more expensive than the other. But I digress.

Several months after Apple announced its plans to launch its iPhone 17 sometime in 2025, many users noticed another change in the emojis on their current phones. As emojis continue being an effective way to animate text, the features are important to most iPhone users. So, users worldwide began to panic when the emojis became freakishly larger than many were used to.

So, why are your iPhone emojis so big? Keep scrolling to see the method behind Apple's madness.

While many enjoy complaining about how social media has stopped us from being a proper country, no one can deny how the platforms can help ease your nerves when you think you're the only one going through something. In November 2024, many iPhone users were comforted by knowing they weren't alone in thinking their emojis were significantly bigger on their text messaging panels.

In Fall 2024, many users began updating their Apple devices to its 2024 iOS update, iOS 18. In November, some took to TikTok and other social media apps to express their frustrations over the larger emojis, which are difficult to miss in texts. One TikTok user, @daddyyamyy, also scolded iPhone for rearranging the favorites section of the emoji.

It appears Apple didn't have a specific reason for changing its emojis. However, bigger emojis make them easier to navigate for some, who found it difficult to decipher which emoji to use when they were smaller. While it's a valid concern for most, many iPhone users want to return to the rivers and lakes they're used to.

As the iOS updates continued switching up iPhones worldwide, whether they liked it or not, many wondered if there was a way to undo the phone's audacious change, calling the update "weird" and complaining it took up "too much space." Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be much we can do to revert the change. So far, there isn't a tech genius who has cracked the code on how to make the emojis smaller.

While the larger emojis are seemingly not going away anytime soon, users can continue expressing their grievances on social media, as at least one other person will join you in the complaints. If that's not enough, Apple has a product feedback channel that allows anyone to read the company for filth respectfully (or disrespectfully if spicy is more your speed).