Never used kissing ghost emoji ‘stuck’ in same spot of recently used

To improve my understanding of the phenomenon, it would be highly beneficial if you could share a full screenshot (Do not crop it). Visual representations carry a greater impact than written descriptions.

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With the limited information that you have provided, It is hard to even guess the problems faced by you. 

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Please re-post with detail so that someone else can help.

The default iOS keyboard organizes emoji categories in the following order: Recent, Smileys, Animals, Food, Activities, Travel, Objects, Symbols, and Flags. This order is fixed and cannot be changed.

The Recents tab in the iOS Keyboard is not editable by the user. It dynamically updates based on the emojis or Memojis you frequently use or have used recently. If you stop using a particular emoji, it will gradually move out of the Recentslist as new ones are used.

Additional Notes:

• The list adapts automatically and reflects a combination of most frequently used and recently used emojis.
• You cannot manually pin or remove emojis from the Recents tab.
• If you'd like to reset it completely, you can go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary, but this will also erase predictive text and autocorrections you've taught the keyboard.

The "Recent" category dynamically updates based on the emojis you use most frequently, regardless of their original category. Additionally, the keyboard remembers the last emoji category you accessed. For instance, if you last selected an emoji from the "Food" category, the keyboard will reopen to that category the next time you use it.

Similarly, if you use emojis from the "Recent" category, the keyboard will default to that category the next time. This behavior adapts to your usage for convenience.

A workaround. If you manually remove stickers from the Stickers list, they will also disappear from the Frequently Used section of the emoji keyboard, allowing the "Send Stickers from Emoji Keyboard" toggle to take effect immediately.

How to Remove Stickers:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap the Stickers button.
3. Long-press on a sticker and look for a Remove or Delete option.
4. Alternatively, go to Settings > Stickers and remove sticker packs.

Once the stickers are gone from Frequently Used, you should notice the toggle working as expected.

Push out unwanted emoji by overwriting recents

• Just type a bunch of other emojis (you can spam-send them to yourself in Notes or Messages).
• The unwanted ones get pushed out of the “Recently Used” section since it only holds a fixed number.

ClarasCatAnna wrote:

Thought it odd as id never even seen this emoji let alone used it. Nor do I even use any of those types of emojis.

If you feel an unauthorized person/app is remotely using, controlling, or monitoring your device, then that is possible only if you have done one or more of the following Don'ts...

1. Don't hand over an iPhone to kids or to a stranger without Enabling Guided Access
2. Don't share Apple IDs
3. Don't Jailbreak
4. Don't share sensitive information pertaining to your device
5. Don't give in to Phishing
6. Don't plug in your device in Airports and Public places through third-party cables and trust the device. Beware of Juice Jacking. (Especially in India)
7. Don't leave your iPhone unlocked and unattended in public places like offices, schools, malls, etc.

If one of the above is true then quickly change the Apple ID Password and Return iPhone settings to their defaults.

1. Immediately change your Apple ID password
   1. Go to Settings → [your name] → Sign-In & Security → Change Password.
   2. This signs out anyone using your account.
2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (if not already): Same menu → Two-Factor Authentication → Turn On.
3. Check for any unknown devices linked to your account:
   1. Settings → [your name] → Devices.:
   2. If you see anything you don’t recognize, tap it → Remove from Account.
4. Check for unknown profiles or device management:
   1. Settings → General → VPN & Device Management.
   2. If you see a profile you didn’t install, tap it → Remove Profile.
5. Check Accessibility & Screen Sharing settings
   1. Settings → Accessibility → Switch Control, Voice Control, or Remote Control — turn off anything you didn’t set up.
   2. Settings → General → AirPlay & Handoff → make sure AirPlay is set to Ask or Never Automatically.
6. Sign out of iCloud everywhere and reset
   1. Go to Settings → [your name] → Sign Out (you’ll need your password).
   2. Then back up your photos to iCloud or your computer.
   3. Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings.:
   4. Set it up as a New iPhone (not from a backup), so nothing suspicious is restored.
7. Update iOS: Always keep the latest iOS version for security fixes.

If a person has ever had your passcode, they could’ve installed something quietly — so the full erase and setting up as new is the safest option. How to factory reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

One more thing to try:

Instead of tapping emoji's, when you open a text message for example, tap the + to the left of the enter text box. Then tap Stickers from the list which comes up. Is the Ghost shown there? If yes, hard press it there to see if you get the option to remove it.

ClarasCatAnna wrote:

So tried this again, and it worked sout cond time!!!!!!! 🙏🏼😃 been trying it for weeks obvs, but not in the same format.

the first time it just done what it normally does but the remove option appeared the second time. 🙏🏼 thank you 👏🏼🙌🏼

You're welcome. It dawned on me you weren't originally trying to remove it from the Stickers list and I tested it before I suggested it. I'm glad it's now gone.

On the iMessage app.

The pic below is Self-explanatory.

If it's a sticker, stickers can be removed by hard pressing on the sticker, then tap remove.

Then I'm not sure what to advise you. I'd chalk it up to a minor annoyance and just not let it bother me.