How to change emojis on Xiaomi: all the ways for MIUI 14 and 15

Xiaomi smartphones are often the subject of controversy: some people do not like their design in MIUI, others want to return classic emojis from Google or Apple, and still others dream of installing unique custom packs. Unlike the iPhone, where changing the emoji requires jailbreaking, Xiaomi can do it legally — and we will tell you how.

In this article, you will find current methods for MIUI 14/15 (including HyperOS) that work on models from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

• 🔄 Standard way through keyboard settings (without root)
• 🛠️ Installation of custom emojis through ADB (advanced)
• 📱 Changing the font of emoji with themes MIUI
• ⚠️ Risks and limitations of each method

Important: the procedure is different from changes to Samsung or Huawei – here are the nuances associated with the shell MIUI.

1.Why do Xiaomi emojis look different than other phones?

Xiaomi uses its own emoji package integrated into the Noto Color Emoji system font, which distinguishes them from:

• 🍎 Apple – uses proprietary Apple Color Emoji (familiar to many “apple” emojis)
• 🤖 Google – emoji from the Android Emoji package (changed to Android) 10-14)
• 🪟 Microsoft - Segoe font UI Emoji (found on Windows and some Nokia)

In MIUI, emojis are often criticized for:

• 👎 Non-compliance with the Unicode standard – some emojis look different than in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram)
• 🎨 Design – Simplified or “children’s” images (e.g., smiley) 😂 tearless)
• 🔄 No updates – in new versions of Android, emojis change, and in the new versions of Android, MIUI remain old

Xiaomi has a hidden emoji font change feature, but it doesn't work on all models, and you can check it in the theme settings.

2. Method 1: Change emojis through keyboard settings (without root)

This is the simplest method that works on 90% of Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later.It does not require superuser rights, but has a limitation: you can only change to standard options from Google or Xiaomi.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Additional settings → Language and input.
2. Select the Current Keyboard (usually Gboard or Xiaomi Keyboard).
3. Push the gear. ⚙️ near-keyboard.
4. Go to Settings → Preset Styles (or Smileys).
5. Choose one of the available packages: 📱 Smiley MIUI (standard for Xiaomi) 🤖 Android emojis (from Google, closer to universal) 🎨 iOS emojis (not available on all models)

Reboot the keyboard (close and open any application with text input).

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (HyperOS or MIUI For global version), the item Preset Styles may not be available. In this case, proceed to Method 2.

3. Method 2: Install custom emojis through ADB (for advanced)

If you don't like the standard options, you can install a custom emoji package via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a computer and basic command line skills, but gives you complete freedom of choice in design.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux
• 📋 Installed drivers ADB Fastboot (download from Google website)
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to unlock the developer menu, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB)
• 🎨 File with custom emoji in.ttf format (can be found on forums) XDA Developers or 4PDA)

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your computer via USB (select File Transfer mode).
2. Open the terminal (CMD on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and check the connection: Adb devices must show your device’s serial number.
3. Copy the emoji font file (e.g. NotoColorEmoji.ttf) into the system folder: adb push NotoColorEmoji.ttf /sdcard/adb shell su mount -o rw,remount /system cp /sdcard/NotoColorEmoji.ttf /system/fonts/ chmod 644 /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf rebootts/NotoColorEmoji.tf rebootttf
4. After the reboot, check the change in the emojis in any messenger.

⚠️ Attention: Wrong commands ADB If you are not sure about your actions, use Method 3.

Method 3: Change emojis through MIUI themes (without root)

Few people know, but MIUI has a hidden feature of changing the font of emoji through themes, which works on most devices, but requires finding a compatible theme.

How to do this:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush) 🎨).
2. Go to the Fonts section (may be called Text or Styles).
3. Find a topic marked Emoji or Smiley in the title: 🍎 iOS Emoji Font (imitation of Apple emojis) 🤖 Android 12 Emoji (Emoji) from Android 12) 🎭 Twitter Emoji (Social Network Style) X/Twitter)

Download and apply the theme. Reboot the phone.

Important: Some topics change only the font of the text, but do not affect emoji.

5. Method 4: Using Magisk for full customization (for experienced)

If you’re willing to sacrifice the warranty for the sake of full control over the emoji, you can use Magisk, a tool for obtaining root rights without making changes to the system partition.

What needs to be done:

1. Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (the official utility from Xiaomi).
2. Install TWRP and run Magisk (instructions are on 4PDA for your model).
3. In Magisk, install a module: 🔧 Emoji Replacer (Emoji Replacement) 🎨 iOS Emoji for Android (port of emojis with iPhone) 📦 FontManager (Universal Font Manager)

Restart your phone and check the result.

⚠️ Note: After unlocking the bootloader on some models, Xiaomi stops working:

• 📱 Widevine L1 (descend L3 — no HD Netflix, Disney.+)
• 🔒 Banking applications (Sberbank, Tinkoff can block access)
• 📶 OTA-Update (you will need to install the firmware manually)

💡

Before unlocking the bootloader, make a full backup via Mi PC Suite or TWRP. This will help restore data if something goes wrong.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you change your emoji to Xiaomi, users experience common mistakes. Here's how to fix them:

Problem 1: Emojis haven’t changed after applying the theme

• 🔄 Make sure the theme is compatible with your version. MIUI (for example, theme MIUI 13 may not work on the MIUI 15).
• 🧹 Clear the app cache Themes (Settings) → Annexes → Topics → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 📱 Restart your phone – sometimes changes only apply after a reboot.

Problem 2: After ADB, emojis are displayed in squares

• 📁 Make sure the font file has the correct name (NotoColorEmoji.ttf).
• 🔧 Check the file access permissions (should be 644).
• 🔄 Try another emoji package (some versions) MIUI conflict with certain fonts).

Problem 3: Some apps have emojis that are old

Some messengers (WhatsApp, Viber) use their own emoji packages, which are independent of the system ones.

• 💬 Telegram – shows emojis as the sender sees them.
• 📱 Facebook Messenger – using its own emojis.
• 🤖 Gboard – can download emojis from Google cloud.

💡

System emojis are only changed for standard applications (SMS, Xiaomi keyboard) and in instant messengers they may remain the same due to caching or using their own packages.

7.How to get back standard Xiaomi emojis?

If you are not satisfied with the experiments with emoji, you can return everything in several ways:

For method 1 (keyboard settings):

1. Open Settings → Additional settings → Language and input.
2. Select your keyboard and return the standard style (Smiley) MIUI).

For method 2 (ADB):

1. Connect your phone to your PC and do: adb shell su mount -o rw,remount /system rm /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf reboot
2. The system will automatically restore the standard font after rebooting.

For method 3 (MIUI topics):

1. Open the Topic app.
2. Go to My Themes → Fonts and select Default.

For method 4 (Magisk):

1. Open Magisk Manager.
2. Remove the module responsible for the emoji (e.g., Emoji Replacer).
3. Reboot the phone.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions