How to Use Genmoji in WhatsApp (and What the Other Person Sees)
Genmoji were made for iMessage, where they sit inside a sentence like any other emoji. Most chats do not happen in iMessage, though. They happen in WhatsApp, with friends on Android, family groups, and people in other countries. So the question comes up the first day someone gets Genmoji: can I use these in WhatsApp? Yes. The Genmoji button is part of the iPhone keyboard, so it is there in WhatsApp too. What changes is how the result is sent and what the other person sees. This guide walks through sending a Genmoji in WhatsApp, the limits you will run into, and how to get a real sticker pack in WhatsApp's own sticker tab, including on iPhones that do not have Genmoji at all.
The short version
- Yes, Genmoji work in WhatsApp. Open the emoji keyboard in a chat, tap the Genmoji button, describe it, and add it.
- It is sent as a sticker, not as an emoji inside your text. That is normal outside iMessage.
- Everyone can see it, Android included, because it arrives as a sticker image. They can save it to their favorites.
- Your Genmoji are kept with your stickers in the emoji keyboard, so you can send one again without recreating it.
- For a pack in WhatsApp's sticker tab, or on an iPhone without Genmoji, make the set in Pixmoji and tap Install Pack.
What you need
Genmoji is part of Apple Intelligence, so it needs an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 or later, with Apple Intelligence turned on and fully downloaded. If the button is missing, how to get Genmoji on iPhone goes through the reasons, and if the keyboard says it is still downloading, see Genmoji stuck on downloading support. The person you are writing to needs nothing special.
How to send a Genmoji in WhatsApp
- Open a chat in WhatsApp and tap the message field so the keyboard appears.
- Tap the emoji key at the bottom left of the keyboard. This is the iPhone's emoji keyboard, not the sticker button inside WhatsApp's message field.
- Tap the Genmoji button at the top right, or type a description in the emoji search field and tap Create New Emoji.
- Describe what you want, for example "a sloth holding a coffee cup". Swipe through the versions.
- Tap Add. The Genmoji is placed in the chat as a sticker. Send it.
To send the same one again later, open the emoji keyboard and swipe right to the sticker section. Your Genmoji are stored there next to the stickers you made from photos, on every app that uses the keyboard.
What the other person sees
| Sent in | How it arrives | Can they reuse it? |
|---|---|---|
| iMessage, iPhone to iPhone | Inline, inside the text like an emoji | Yes, they can save it as a sticker |
| WhatsApp, to an iPhone | As a sticker, on its own line | Yes, tap it and add it to favorites |
| WhatsApp, to an Android phone | As a sticker | Yes, tap it and add it to favorites |
| Messages, to an Android phone | As a small image | They can save the image |
The reason is simple. An emoji is a character every phone already knows. A Genmoji is a picture your iPhone made a minute ago, so no other phone has it. iMessage has a special way to place that picture inside a line of text. Other apps receive it as an image and show it the way they show stickers. What that looks like outside WhatsApp is in can Android users see Genmoji.
The limits of Genmoji in WhatsApp
- Not inline. You cannot put a Genmoji in the middle of a WhatsApp sentence. It goes out as a separate sticker.
- Not a pack in WhatsApp's sticker tab. Genmoji live in the iPhone keyboard. You can add one you have sent to your WhatsApp favorites, but they do not form a pack next to your other WhatsApp stickers, and you cannot hand a set of them to a friend.
- One at a time. There is no way to build a matching set and install it. Each Genmoji is made and kept on its own.
- One look. Genmoji are drawn in Apple's emoji style, with a couple of sketch options in iOS 27. A specific look, such as anime or a hand-drawn cartoon, is not something you can ask for freely.
- Recent iPhones only. Friends with an iPhone 15, iPhone 14, or older can receive your Genmoji but cannot make their own.
For a one-off reaction none of this matters. For a group that wants its own set of stickers, it does.
A real sticker pack in WhatsApp, on any iPhone
WhatsApp has a proper sticker system: packs that sit in the sticker tab of every chat. Pixmoji makes custom emoji stickers from a description or a photo and installs them there as a pack. It works on any iPhone with iOS 15 or later, with or without Apple Intelligence.
- Open Pixmoji and tap the plus button to open the Create Emoji sheet.
- Choose Text to Emoji and describe the sticker, with the style in the same sentence: "sloth holding a coffee cup, cute style". Or choose Image to Emoji to turn a selfie or a pet photo into a sticker.
- On the result, tap Add to Pack. Repeat until the set is complete, keeping the same style words so the stickers match.
- Open the pack and tap Install Pack. WhatsApp opens and adds it.
- In any WhatsApp chat, tap the sticker button in the message field. The pack is in the sticker tab.
The full walkthrough is in how to make WhatsApp stickers on iPhone, and ideas for a set the whole group will use are in how to make a sticker pack for your group chat. How the two approaches differ in general is in Genmoji vs custom emoji apps.
Which one to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| A quick one-off reaction, and you have a recent iPhone | Genmoji from the keyboard |
| A matching set for a group chat | A Pixmoji pack, installed in WhatsApp |
| Stickers in a particular style | Pixmoji, with the style in the description |
| Custom stickers on an iPhone 15, 14, or older | Pixmoji |
| A cutout of a real photo | Touch and hold the subject in Photos and tap Add Sticker, then send it from the keyboard |
Quick answers
Can you use Genmoji in WhatsApp?
Yes. Open the iPhone's emoji keyboard in a WhatsApp chat, tap the Genmoji button, create one, and tap Add. It is sent as a sticker.
Why does my Genmoji send as a sticker in WhatsApp?
Only iMessage can show a Genmoji inside a line of text. Other apps receive it as an image, and WhatsApp displays that image as a sticker.
Can Android users see Genmoji in WhatsApp?
Yes. The Genmoji arrives as a normal WhatsApp sticker, which Android phones show like any other. They can add it to their favorites.
Where are my Genmoji saved?
In the sticker section of the iPhone's emoji keyboard, next to stickers made from your photos. Open the emoji keyboard and swipe right to find them.
Can I add Genmoji to WhatsApp as a sticker pack?
No. Genmoji stay in the iPhone keyboard and are sent one at a time. For a pack in WhatsApp's sticker tab, make the stickers in an app that installs packs, such as Pixmoji.
How do I get Genmoji in WhatsApp on an older iPhone?
Genmoji needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, so it cannot be added to older models. An emoji maker app such as Pixmoji creates custom emoji stickers from a description on any iPhone with iOS 15 or later and installs them in WhatsApp.
Custom stickers in the chat you actually use
Genmoji from the keyboard cover the quick reaction. For a set that lives in WhatsApp's sticker tab and works on every iPhone, download Pixmoji, free to download, make the pack, and tap Install Pack.