When installing an iOS simulator runtime through xcodes runtimes install, the resulting simulator renders **every emoji as a question mark (?-boxes) **, system-wide. The issue reproduces in native Apple system apps (Safari, Messages) and in the system keyboard's emoji picker — i.e. it is not app-, Flutter-, or React-Native-specific. Runtimes installed via Xcode's built-in Settings → Platforms flow on the same machine do not exhibit the issue, which suggests xcodes' install path is skipping or mis-handling a font asset (most likely Apple Color Emoji.ttc) during runtime bundle extraction/registration.
When the same iOS runtime is installed via Xcode's built-in "Universal" simulator install (Xcode → Settings → Platforms), emoji render correctly in Safari, Messages, and the system keyboard picker on the exact same machine. Only runtimes installed via xcodes runtimes install exhibit the tofu symptom. This isolates the regression to the xcodes install path.
When installing an iOS simulator runtime through
xcodes runtimes install, the resulting simulator renders **every emoji as a question mark (?-boxes) **, system-wide. The issue reproduces in native Apple system apps (Safari, Messages) and in the system keyboard's emoji picker — i.e. it is not app-, Flutter-, or React-Native-specific. Runtimes installed via Xcode's built-in Settings → Platforms flow on the same machine do not exhibit the issue, which suggests xcodes' install path is skipping or mis-handling a font asset (most likelyApple Color Emoji.ttc) during runtime bundle extraction/registration.When the same iOS runtime is installed via Xcode's built-in "Universal" simulator install (Xcode → Settings → Platforms), emoji render correctly in Safari, Messages, and the system keyboard picker on the exact same machine. Only runtimes installed via xcodes runtimes install exhibit the tofu symptom. This isolates the regression to the xcodes install path.