How to change emoji on Xiaomi phones: all the ways from official to hidden

Emojis on Xiaomi smartphones are often the subject of controversy: someone does not like their style, someone lacks variety, and some just want to return the usual characters from older versions of MIUI. Unlike the iPhone or Google Pixel, where emoji are rigidly tied to the OS version, Xiaomi devices have several ways to modify them – from official settings to deep system interventions.

In this article, we will look at all the current methods of changing emojis on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO (including models on HyperOS), evaluate their pros and cons, and warn about possible risks. Importantly, not all methods are equally safe — some require root rights or can cause messaging, start with the simplest and end with solutions for advanced users.

1. Official way: change of style of emoji in settings MIUI/HyperOS

Starting with MIUI 12.5 and HyperOS, Xiaomi has added a built-in emoji style option, which is the safest method, but it doesn't work on all models and doesn't offer full customization. Here's how to activate it:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Special Opportunities.
2. Scroll down to System Settings and select Emoji Style.
3. From the available options, choose: 🔄 Standard (emoji) MIUI/HyperOS default) 📱 Google (close to Android emoji, but not identical) 🍎 iOS (stylized for Apple, but without animation)

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (especially custom ones) may not have this section. If you don't have an option, move on to the following methods.

Advantages of the official method:

• ✅ Does not require root rights or third-party applications.
• ✅ It does not affect the stability of the system.
• ✅ Retained after OS updates.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Limited choice of styles (no custom packs).
• ❌ In some models (POCO F5, Redmi Note 12 may not be available.
• ❌ Not all messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) display emoji correctly.

2.Use of third-party keyboards with custom emojis

If the built-in settings don't work, the easiest way around is to install a third-party keyboard, many of which support emoji style change without interfering with the system.

How to set up:

1. Install the selected keyboard from Google Play.
2. Activate it in Settings → System → Language and input → Virtual keyboard.
3. In the keyboard settings, find the Emoji or Themes section and choose your favorite style.

⚠️ Note: Some keyboards (such as Chroom) may conflict with Xiaomi system fonts, causing emojis to appear incorrectly in notifications or contact names. Check reviews for your model (Redmi Note 13 Pro) before installing+, Xiaomi 14, etc.).

💡

If the emojis in messengers have not changed after changing the keyboard, clear the app cache (for example, WhatsApp or Viber) in the phone settings.

3. Installation of custom font with emoji (without root)

Starting with Android 10, Xiaomi supports custom font installation, including those containing alternative emojis, which does not require root rights, but has limitations:

• 📌 It only works on MIUI 12+ hyperos.
• 📌 Not all fonts contain a complete set of emojis (may be missing animations or some characters).
• 📌 After the OS update, the font may reset.

Instructions:

1. Download the font from the emoji in.ttf or.otf. Popular sources: Google Fonts (like Noto Color Emoji) Which fonts are better not to install? Fonts with the extension.woff or.woff2 Not supported on Xiaomi without root. Also avoid fonts with Cyrillic in the title - they can cause failures in the display of text in some applications (for example, in SberBank Online or Public Services). 4. Change emojis through the emoji ADB (For advanced users, if you need to completely replace system emojis without obtaining root rights, you can use the team ADB. This method works on most Xiaomi devices, but requires a connection to a computer and enabling debugging. USB. What's the matter: 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools. 📱 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 Click to unlock the developer mode, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB). 📁.ttf emoji file (e.g. Twemoji or JoyPixels) Step-by-step: adb devices # Check the connection of the adb shell device # Go to the shell of the phone su # Request root rights (if any) mount -o rw,remount /system # Rewiring the system for recording cp /sdcard/Download/emoji.ttf /system/fonts/ # Copying chmod font 644 /system/fonts/emoji.ttf # Assigning rights to reboot #Reboot ⚠️ Warning: Without root rights, this method may not work on HyperOS due to enhanced system partition protection. If the emojis have not changed after the reboot, return the original font with the command: adb shell mv /system/fonts/emoji.ttf.bak /system/fonts/emoji.ttf Downloaded font file with emoji (.ttf) Included debugging by USB on the phone Installed ADB Tools on PC Created a backup of the original font Battery Charge more 50%--> 5. If you're ready to get root rights, you have unlimited customization options. The most reliable way to do this is with a Magisk module called Emoji Replacer or Emoji Switcher: 🎨 Install any emoji pack (including Samsung One) UI, Twitter Emoji, Facebook). 🔄 Switch between styles without rebooting. 🛠️ Restore the original emoji in one click. Instructions: Install Magisk Manager and get root rights (instructions for Xiaomi are available on the website). XDA Developers). Download the Emoji Replacer module (check compatibility with your version) MIUI/HyperOS). Install the module through Magisk and restart the phone. In the Emoji Replacer app, select the emoji pack and apply the changes: ✅ Full freedom of choice (more than one) 50 emoji packs). ✅ It works on all versions of Android and MIUI/HyperOS. ✅ No risk of "bricking" the phone (Magisk modules roll back easily) Risks: ❌ Loss of warranty (if the phone is warranty, root cancels it). ❌ Possible problems with Google Pay, SberBank Online and other banking applications (Magisk Hide required). ❌ On some models (Xiaomi) 13T, Redmi K60) It can be broken always on display. 💡If after installing the module, emojis are displayed in squares, clear the cache of the Android System WebView app in the phone settings. 6. Alternative methods: Thematic launchers and applications If all of the above methods seem too complicated, you can compromise - use launchers or applications that visually replace emoji in the interface. Best options: 🏠 Lawnchair Launcher – supports custom icons and emojis in application folders. 📲 Textra SMS — messenger with support for alternative emoji in chat rooms. 🎨 Kika Keyboard – keyboard with built-in stickers and non-standard emojis. 🖥️ Nova Launcher + TeslaUnread plugin allows you to change notification icons (including emojis); Restrictions: Emoji will only change in the launcher interface or a specific application. System notifications, contact names and some messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) will remain standard characters. ⚠️ Note: Some launchers (such as Microsoft Launcher) may conflict with Xiaomi’s branded shell, causing lags when scrolling your desktop (POCO X5, Redmi 12 et al. Comparison of methods: which to choose? Method Difficulty Required root Risks Effectiveness Official settings ⭐ ❌ No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No ⚠️ Limited choice Third-party keyboard ⭐⭐ ❌ No conflicts with messengers ✅ Good compromise Castom font ⭐⭐⭐ ❌ No Text Display Failures ✅ Complete replacement (but not everywhere) ADB-team ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❌ No (but rights required) Data loss in case of error ✅ Full replacement of Magisk modules ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ✅ Yes Loss of warranty, ban in banking applications ✅ The choice of method depends on your goals: If you need to quickly and without risks, use the official settings or a third-party keyboard. If you want a full root replacement, try custom font or ADB. If you are ready for experiments, Magisk will open up all possibilities. FAQ: Frequent questions about emojis on Xiaomi 🔍 Why don't they show up in all apps after a change of emoji? This is because some apps (WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram) use their own emoji fonts, which are independent of the system ones. To change emojis in them, you need to either use a keyboard with alternative characters, or get root rights and modify them. APK-Application files (which is highly discouraged due to account ban risk). ⚙️ Can I bring back old emojis from MIUI 11 on MIUI 14/HyperOS? Yes, but only with root rights. You'll need: Download the archive with emoji fonts from MIUI 11 (For example, NotoColorEmoji.ttf. Using Root Explorer, replace files in the /system/fonts/. Clear the system cache (Settings) → Annexes → Show it all. → Android System WebView → Warehouse → Without root, you can't bring back old emojis, they're rigidly tied to the shell version. 🔄 How do you reset emojis to standard if something goes wrong? The method depends on which method you used: Official settings: Return the emoji style setting to the default value. Castomy font: Remove it to Settings → Screen. → font. ADB/Magisk: Restore the original emoji file from backup or reinstall the module. If the emojis are displayed in squares, clear the cache of the Android System WebView app and restart the phone. 📱 Will there be new emojis after upgrading to HyperOS? HyperOS brings a revamped emoji design, but it's closer to Google's style than previous versions MIUI. If you don’t like the new characters, you can: MIUI 14 (Use Magisk to install an alternative pack. Wait for an update from Xiaomi (early versions of HyperOS often have bugs with emoji displays). 🚫 Why do some emojis not change (e.g. flags or zodiac symbols) Flags and some special symbols (e.g. zodiac signs or regional indicators) are often stored in separate font files. Find a full emoji pack that includes these characters (e.g. Twemoji or JoyPixels). /system/fonts/ (It's usually EmojiCompat.ttf, NotoColorEmoji.ttf and NotoEmoji-Regular.ttf. Reboot your phone in Safe Mode (hold the switch off button). → Restart in Safe Mode, then return to normal mode. If the characters still don’t change, check to see if their specific app settings override them (e.g. Telegram has its own set of emojis).