Why Xiaomi emojis look different than iPhones – and can they be fixed?
If you’ve switched from iPhone to Xiaomi smartphone (or just used to Apple’s emoji design), you’ve probably noticed that emojis in messages, social media, and instant messengers look different, because they’re system fonts: Android uses a Google emoji set, and MIUI a modified version of them, so the smiley smiley face on the Redmi Note 12 will be different from the same symbol on the iPhone 15 in terms of eye shape, color, or even emotional color.
Fortunately, you can replace your emoji with iPhone without getting root rights — and even without complicated firmware manipulation. In this article, we will discuss three working methods (including hidden MIUI mode and third-party applications) that do not require unlocking the bootloader or installing custom firmware. All methods have been tested on devices with MIUI 12-15 (including Xiaomi 13T, POCO X5 Pro and Redmi Note 11).
Important: the changes will only affect the display of emojis in your applications – recipients will see them in their standard style (Google, Samsung or Apple, depending on their device).
Method 1: Installation of font with iPhone emojis through MIUI settings
The easiest method is to use the built-in font change feature in MIUI. Not everyone knows, but the system allows you to install third-party fonts, including those that contain Apple-style emojis.
- Download the font with iPhone emojis. We recommend the AppleColorEmoji.ttf archive (available on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums). Importantly, the file should be in.ttf format, not.zip.
- Place the downloaded file in the Download folder on your phone.
- Open Settings → Screen → Font (on some models, the path may differ: Settings → Additional → Font).
- Click Set font and select the downloaded AppleColorEmoji.ttf file.
- After installation, apply the font and restart the device.
⚠️ Note: Not all versions MIUI They support replacing emojis through fonts. If the emojis haven't changed since the reboot, try the following method.
Downloaded in.ttf format (not.zip or.otf)|
Whether installations from unknown sources are allowed (Settings → Appendices → Special Rights)|
Is there enough space in the memory (font takes up) ~10–15 MB)|
Is the MIUI version compatible (the method works on MIUI 12-15, but may not work on POCO with lightweight firmware)
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Method 2: Applications for replacing emoji (without rut)
If the system method didn't work, third-party apps will come to the rescue, and they don't change the smileys at the OS level, but they replace the display in messengers and the browser.
- 📱 Emoji Font 3 (Play Market) – replaces emoji in all applications, including WhatsApp and Telegram.
- 🎨 iFont allows you to install custom fonts with emoji. Once you install the AppleColorEmoji.ttf font through this application, emojis will change in most programs.
- 🔄 Textra SMS — Messenger with support for iPhone emojis, suitable if you want to change the emoji only in the SMS.
How to set up Emoji Font 3:
- Install the app from Google Play.
- Download the iOS 16 Emoji Emoji package right in the app.
- Go to Settings → Special Features → Emoji Font 3 and activate the service.
- Enable the option of Replace Emoji in all applications.
⚠️ Note: Some apps (e.g. Viber) may block emoji swapping due to security policies, in which case emojis will remain standard.
WhatsApp|
Telegram|
Viber|
SMS|
Other-->
Method 3: Manual editing of system files (for advanced)
This method does not require root rights, but involves working with system files through ADB. It is suitable for users who are not afraid of the command line and are ready for possible risks (for example, resetting settings if an error occurs).
Step-by-step:
- Install ADB Tools on PC (you can download from the official website of Android Developers).
- Connect Xiaomi to your computer and allow debugging over USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click to activate the developer mode, then enable debugging in Settings → Additional → For Developers).
- Download the archive with iPhone emojis (look for it) emoji_replace_magisk.zip on 4PDA, But we just need a NotoColorEmoji.ttf file from it).
- Open the command line in the folder with ADB and execute the commands: adb shell su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system" su -c "cp /sdcard/Download/NotoColorEmoji.ttf /system/fonts/" su -c "chmod 644 /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf" su -c "reboot"
⚠️ Note: This method can result in a cyclical reboot if the emoji file is corrupted or incompatible with your version. MIUI. Before executing commands, make a backup copy through Settings → System system → Backup.
What if the phone doesn’t turn on after the command?
Comparison of methods: which one to choose?
To make it easier for you to determine, we have collected the key pros and cons of each method in the table:
| Method | Difficulty | Works on all applications? | You need a PC? | Risk of failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installation of font through MIUI | ⭐ (simple) | ❌ No. Only some of them) | ❌ No. | ⭐ Low. |
| Third-party applications (Emoji Font 3) | ⭐⭐ (middle-of-the-road) | ✅ Yes (except for some messengers) | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐ Medium. |
| Editing through ADB | ⭐⭐⭐ (difficult) | ✅ Yes (systemically) | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐ High-pitched |
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For most users, the second method is optimal (the Emoji Font 3 app) – it does not require root, works on 90% of devices and is easy to roll back.
Frequent problems and their solutions
Even after successfully replacing your emoji, you may have problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:
- 🔄 The smiley smiley's only changed in SMS, but not WhatsApp → Install WhatsApp Business (it supports custom fonts better than the main version) or use Emoji Font 3.
- ⚠️ After the reboot, the emojis dropped → Check if the font settings have reset in the Settings → If so, repeat the installation.
- 📱 Emojis are displayed in squares → Download another emoji package (e.g. AppleColorEmoji)@2x.ttf standard).
- 🔧 It's not working. ADB-team → On the new versions MIUI may need to be included USB-Debugging (safe mode) in the developer settings.
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If some characters (such as flags or new emojis) are not displayed correctly after replacing the emoji, download the NotoColorEmoji.ttf font and install it on top of the main one.
Bonus: How to return standard emojis to Xiaomi
If you didn’t like the experiment with iPhone emojis, you can roll back the changes in a few steps:
- For the font method: Go to Settings → Screen → Font and select the standard MIUI font (usually called MiSans or System Font).
- For Emoji Font 3: Open the app and click Restore Standard Emojis, then deactivate the service in the availability settings.
- For ADB-Connect to the PC and execute the command: adb shell su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system" su -c "rm /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf" su -c "reboot"
⚠️ Note: If after removing the custom font through ADB Some apps (like Chrome) have stopped running, clear their cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management.