How to change emoji on Xiaomi smartphones: all ways of 2026

The standard emojis on Xiaomi smartphones don’t always match your style or preferences.Someone wants to bring back classic emojis from Google, some like animated versions from Samsung, and some just tired of the yellow-faced characters of MIUI. Fortunately, you can change the emoji on Xiaomi in several ways, from simple settings to deep customization through ADB.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current methods, from official solutions (available on MIUI 14/15) to alternative applications and manual editing of system files. You’ll learn how to change emojis without root rights, which apps are suitable for this, and what to do if the emojis are displayed incorrectly after changes, and also a unique way to bring back the old Xiaomi emojis of 2018-2020, which many users consider the best.

Why are Xiaomi emojis different from other smartphones?

The fact is that Xiaomi uses its own version of the emoji, based on the Unicode standard, but with a unique design, these emojis are integrated into the MIUI firmware and updated with the system.

• 🔹 Design: Yellow-faced emojis with rounded shapes, similar to Apple’s style, but with shades MIUI (for example, brighter colors).
• 🔹 Animation: On some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) Emojis support light animation while holding.
• 🔹 Regional differences: In Chinese versions MIUI Emojis may differ from global emojis (for example, the flag of Taiwan is replaced by a plum flower).
• 🔹 Updates: With the exit MIUI 14 emojis became flatter, and in MIUI 15 added Unicode 15.1 support (new characters like melting face) 🫠).

If you don’t like the current style, there are a few ways to address it:

Before you start, check the version of MIUI in Settings → About Phone. Some methods only work on new firmware.

Method 1: Change the font in the MIUI settings (without root)

The easiest method is to change the system font, which automatically updates and emojis, which works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later, including Redmi Note 11/12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 12/13.

Instructions:

1. Open the settings → Screen → Font.
2. Select the option “Download fonts” (if not, update MIUI to the latest version).
3. In the list, look for fonts marked “Emoji” (e.g. Google Sans Emoji or iOS Emoji).
4. Download your favorite font and use it.
5. Restart your phone – the emojis will change in all apps.

⚠️ Note: Not all fonts correctly display emojis. If after changing the emoji became squares, return the standard font and try another option.

Check out the MIUI version (should be 12+)

Make a backup copy of the data

Connect to Wi-Fi (fonts weigh 10–50MB)

Close all applications before restarting-->

If your firmware doesn’t have the option to Download Fonts, try updating through Settings → About Phone → System Update or install the font manually through the iFont app (available on Google Play).

Method 2: Keyboards with alternative emojis

If you don't have the system settings to change your emoji, you can use third-party keyboards, which only replace emojis when you type, but not throughout the system, but it works on any device, including older models like the Redmi 9A or the POCO M3.

The best applications for this task:

• 📱 Gboard (Google) – supports Android and iOS emoji (setting in Settings) → Preferences → Emoji style).
• 🎨 SwiftKey (Microsoft) – lets you choose between Twitter, Google and Apple styles.
• 🔄 Chroom (Emoji Keyboard) – a specialized keyboard with hundreds of emoji styles.
• 📲 Samsung Keyboard – if you like One emojis UI, can be installed APK APKMirror.

How to install and configure:

1. Download the keyboard from Google Play (such as Gboard).
2. Activate it in Settings → System → Language and input → Virtual keyboard.
3. Open the keyboard settings and find the “Emoji” or “Style” section.
4. Choose your favorite set of emojis.

⚠️ Note: In some instant messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram), emojis may appear in the style of the app, not the keyboard. To fix this, select the option “Show emoji in the style of the system” in the chat settings».

💡

If the emojis in the messages are not displayed correctly after changing the keyboard, clear the cache of the Android System WebView application in the phone settings.

Method 3: Apps for complete emoji replacement (without root)

If you need to change the emoji throughout the system (including notifications, browser and menus), but you don’t want to get root, you can use specialized utilities. They work through ADB or Magisk modules, but do not require unlocking the bootloader.

Top.-3 substitute:

• 🛠️ Emoji Switcher – Changes the Emoji through the ADB No root, supports Google, Apple, Samsung and Twitter styles.
• 🎭 Emoji Kitchen – allows you to mix emojis (for example, create a hybrid) 👨‍🍳 + 🐉). It works through Gboard.
• 🔧 ZFont 3 – Installs custom fonts and emojis through recovery (required) TWRP).

The following is a step-by-step guide for Emoji Switcher:

1. Download Emoji Switcher from Google Play.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on version, then Settings → Additional → For Developers → USB debugging).
3. Download ADB Tools to your computer.
4. Enter in the command line: Adb devices (should appear serial number of your phone).
5. Run the desired style of emoji in Emoji Switcher and follow the instructions of the application.

After the reboot, the emoji will change across all apps, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and system notifications.

Method 4: Manual editing of system files (for advanced ones)

This method requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights, but gives full control over the emoji, suitable for users who want to install unique emoji sets (for example, from iOS 17 or custom packs).

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped boot). TWRP or MIUI Backup.

Instructions:

1. Get root with Magisk (XDA Developers has instructions for Xiaomi).
2. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer).
3. Go to the folder: /system/fonts/ and find the files: NotoColorEmoji.ttf EmojiCompat.ttf fallback_fonts.xml
4. Download an alternative set of emojis (like Nerd Fonts or Google Noto Emoji).
5. Replace the original files with new ones by setting permissions 644 (rw-r--r---).
6. Clear the cache in Settings → Memory → Clear the cache and restart the phone.

If the emojis are displayed as empty squares after replacement, check:

• 🔹 Font compatibility with your version of Android.
• 🔹 File access rights (644 for fonts, 664 for fonts) XML).
• 🔹 Availability of backup copies of original files.

💡

Backup system fonts is a must! If the phone doesn't boot after you replace it, restore files via TWRP or Fastboot.

Method 5: Returning Xiaomi’s Old Emojis (2018–2020)

Many users are nostalgic about Xiaomi’s 2018-2020 emojis, which were more detailed and vivid, and can be returned even on new devices with MIUI 14/15.

You'll need:

• 📱 Phone with root or unlocked bootloader.
• 💾 Archives with old emojis (can be found on the 4PDA topically MIUI).
• 🛠️ Magisk Module or TWRP fitting.

Step-by-step:

1. Download the MIUI Old Emoji module for Magisk (e.g. here).
2. Install it through Magisk Manager (Modules → Install from storage).
3. Reboot the phone.
4. If there is no module, manually replace files in /system/fonts/ with older versions (see Method 4).

⚠️ Warning: Older emojis may conflict with new Unicode characters (e.g. emojis for gender-neutral professions or new emojis for 2023) in which case some characters will appear as empty squares.

Problems after Emoji Change and Solutions

Even if you've done everything right, sometimes there are bugs, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting your phone to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset). Make sure to back up your data before doing so!

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing emojis to Xiaomi