Recently Used Emojis Are Stuck and Won’t Update on iPhone 15 ? Here’s the Fix

Are your recently used emojis not updating on your iPhone 15 Pro Max? You’re not alone. In 2025, many iOS users have reported that their frequently used emoji tab is stuck, won’t refresh, or shows emojis they never actually used. This bug seems to persist across multiple iOS versions and even affects iPads and older iPhones like the iPhone 13 Pro.

If you’re wondering:

“Why are my recently used emojis not updating on iPhone?”
“How do I fix stuck emojis in the keyboard?”
“Emoji history won’t clear after reset on iPhone 15 Pro Max”

This guide has all the answers and a working fix.

What’s the Issue with iPhone Emoji not updating?

Many iPhone users have noticed:

The frequently used emoji section shows default or old emojis.
Emojis you use daily don’t appear.
Some never-used or creepy emojis are permanently stuck.
Resetting the keyboard dictionary doesn’t remove or refresh them.
Emojis selected through the search function don’t register in the recent tab.

For some users, this issue has persisted through three or more iOS updates without resolution. It affects system apps like Messages and Notes, and third-party apps like WhatsApp behave inconsistently.

Confirmed iOS Emoji Behavior

Here’s how emoji usage is supposed to work on iPhone:

Frequently Used Emojis: Appear based on frequency across supported apps.
Recently Used: Emojis used in the last few sessions may temporarily appear.
Search Doesn’t Count: If you insert emojis using the emoji search, it often does not log them as “used”.
Reset Keyboard Dictionary: This should clear emoji history — but often does not work as expected in recent iOS builds.

How to Fix Stuck Recently Used Emojis on iPhone, iPad , iOS

Working Fix: Turn Off Emoji Stickers

Several users have confirmed this solution:

Go to Settings > General > Keyboard
Scroll down and find “Memoji Stickers” or “Emoji Stickers”
Turn off the toggle
Force close your keyboard app or restart your phone

Why this works: Disabling stickers appears to remove conflicts between sticker tracking and the standard emoji history engine. After turning this off, users have reported their frequently used emojis finally updating again.

Optional Steps That Might Help

If the above doesn’t work alone:

Reset Keyboard Dictionary again after disabling stickers:
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary
Avoid using emoji search when adding emojis; instead, tap directly through the emoji categories.

Final Thoughts

If your iPhone 15 Pro Max recently used emojis are not updating, the issue is likely due to a conflict between sticker memory and emoji history tracking. Disabling stickers in keyboard settings has proven to be the most effective solution in 2025.

This issue has been seen on devices running iOS 18.3, iOS 18.4, and iOS 18.5, and affects both new and existing iPhones and iPads.