Syria’s new flag makes its way to Apple’s emoji keyboard

Apple has replaced the flag used by the ousted regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with the Syrian independence flag associated with the 2011 revolution and used by the current Syrian interim government. 

Tech news reports this week said that Apple has previewed its latest set of emojis as part of iOS 18.4 beta 2, showcasing a Syrian flag emoji that adopts the nation’s independence flag.

According to Emojipedia, the first iOS 18.4 beta was released just a week ago, with the second edition expected in April.

The soon-to-be-released emoji features Syria’s tricolour design, with green on top, black on the bottom, and three red stars filling the white stripe in the middle.

This contrasts with the country’s previous flag emoji, used during the Assad regime, which featured a red top, black bottom, and two green stars in the white section.

Arab users took to social media to celebrate the momentous change.

One wrote in a post on social media platform X: “The new Syrian flag emoji on macOS 15.4 beta ya Allah I can’t believe it!”

Another exclaimed, “WE ARE SO BACK THE NEW SYRIAN FLAG DROPPED.”

For many Syrians, who have endured over 50 years of the Assad family rule and more than a decade of civil war, the national flag – which was replaced in 1963 when Assad’s Baath Party took power – symbolises a new dawn. 

The flag was originally designed during the French mandate and symbolised the struggle for independence from colonial rule

It was later brought back by anti-Assad activists in 2011 to symbolise their opposition to the Assad regime and authoritarian rule. 

Syria officially adopted the flag in 1946 upon gaining independence, but it was replaced in 1958 by the flag of the United Arab Republic, featuring two stars to represent the political union between Egypt and Syria. It was readopted briefly in 1961 when Syria left the United Arab Republic but replaced again after the 1963 Baathist takeover.