How to change emojis on Xiaomi on iPhone: all ways from simple to advanced

Xiaomi’s emojis are often criticized for not being the same as Apple’s design, because they have a different style, color, and even meaning to some characters. If you’re used to iPhone emojis or just want to unify the look and feel of your device-to-device correspondence, there are a few ways to replace them. But it’s important to understand that replacing the system emoji requires firmware, and surface techniques (via keyboards or themes) will only have a partial effect.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods, from installing third-party keyboards to deep modification of the system through ADB or custom firmware, also describe the risks of these or those methods, and give recommendations for different models of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO. If you are not ready for experiments with firmware, let’s start with the safest options.

1. The easiest way: keyboard with iPhone emojis

If you only need to send an iOS-style emoji, but you don’t have to see it in the system interface, you just need to install an alternative keyboard, which does not require root rights and is suitable for any Xiaomi model from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.

The best applications for this task:

• 📱 Gboard (Google Keyboard) – supports Apple emojis through additional themes. In the settings, select the style of iOS or Minimal iOS.
• 🎨 SwiftKey – allows you to download custom emoji packages (you need to download a separate file with the style of iOS) 16/17).
• 🔄 Emoji Keyboard — Cute Emoticons, GIF — specialized keyboard with support for iPhone smileys (but contains advertising).

How to determine:

1. Download the keyboard from Google Play (such as Gboard).
2. Go to Settings → System and Device → Language and Entering → Virtual Keyboard.
3. Activate the downloaded keyboard and set it by default.
4. In the keyboard settings, find the “Emoji” or “Themes” section and select the iOS style.

⚠️ Note: Emojis in the keyboard will only be displayed correctly when sent. In the received messages (for example, on WhatsApp or Telegram), they will remain standard for the user. MIUI, If not, use additional methods.

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To check how the emoji will look like in the recipient, send a test message to yourself on another messenger (for example, from the iPhone to Xiaomi).

2. Replace emojis through MIUI themes (no root)

MIUI allows custom themes to be installed, some of which change not only wallpaper and icons, but also emojis, which works on most Xiaomi devices (except for the newest models with MIUI 15+, where functionality is limited to themes).

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Themes app (if not, download it from Google Play).
2. Search for iOS emoji or Apple emoji.
3. Select your favorite theme (e.g., “iOS 16 Emoji Pack” or “Apple Style Icons”).
4. Click Apply – Emojis will change in the input menu and some system applications.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not all emojis will be replaced – some will remain standard (e.g., in notifications or browsers).
• ❌ After updating MIUI theme may fly.
• ✅ Plus: No technical skills required and reversible.

3. Manual change of system fonts (root required)

To completely replace the system-level emoji, system files need to be modified, which is suitable for advanced users, as it requires:

• 🔓 Root rights (for example, through Magisk).
• 📁 Backup of original files.
• 🛠️ Ability to work with ADB file manager with root access (e.g. Root Explorer).

Instructions:

1. Download your archive from iOS emojis (like XDA Developers).Look for files with the.ttf extension (like AppleColorEmoji.ttf).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and open ADB Shell (or use a file manager with root).
3. Go to /system/fonts/ and back up the original files:

adb pull /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf ~/backup/


adb pull /system/fonts/EmojiCompat.ttf ~/backup/

1. Replace files with downloaded ones (e.g. AppleColorEmoji.ttf).
2. Change the access rights:

adb shell chmod 644 /system/fonts/AppleColorEmoji.ttf

1. Reset the device.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrectly replacing fonts can lead to bootloop ( looped boot).If the phone doesn't turn on after rebooting, restore the original files through TWRP or Fastboot.

Backup all data via Mi Cloud or TWRP|Install Magisk and check root access|Download the correct version of emoji (for your Android)|Prepare. ADB or file manager with root|Read reviews about emoji files on the forum-->

4. Install custom firmware with iOS emoji

If you're ready for radical measures, you can flash the device onto custom firmware, where Apple's emojis are already integrated.

• 🍎 iOS Themed ROMs (such as iOS Launcher) + MIUI Mix).
• 🤖 LineageOS with modified fonts.
• 🔧 Projekt Treble (for Project Treble-enabled devices).

How to stitch:

1. Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Xiaomi account binding and a wait of 7-15 days).
2. Install TWRP Recovery for your model.
3. Download firmware from the XDA or 4PDA forum (look for topics marked iOS Emoji).
4. Sweat through TWRP, having made a full backup.

Benefits and risks:

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Custom firmware is the most reliable way to get an iOS emoji on Xiaomi, but it is only suitable for advanced users. For beginners, we recommend starting with the keyboard or themes.

5. Alternative methods: Magisk applications and modules

If there is root, but you do not want to change the firmware, you can use modules for Magisk:

• 🔄 iOS Emoji Font Magisk Module – Automatically Replaces Emoji Fonts.
• 🎨 Emoji Replacer – allows you to selectively change individual emojis.
• 📦 FontManager – universal font manager with support for Apple.

How to install the module:

1. Download the module file (for example, iOS_Emoji_Magisk.zip).
2. Open Magisk Manager and go to the Modules section.
3. Click Install Module and select the downloaded file.
4. Reset the device.

Proven modules for different versions of MIUI:

Problems and Solutions: Why don’t emojis change?

Even after all the manipulations, emojis can remain standard, and let's look at the typical causes and ways to eliminate them:

Problem 1: Emojis have changed in the keyboard, but not in the messages.

• 🔹 Solution: Install Textra App SMS or QKSMS — They support custom emoji fonts.

Problem 2: After the fonts were replaced, the phone stopped loading.

• 🔹 Solution: Boot in TWRP and recover the original files from the backup or run the stock firmware through Fastboot.

Problem 3: Some apps (like Instagram) display emojis incorrectly.

• 🔹 Solution: It's a limitation of the app itself -- it uses its own fonts. Try clearing the cache or using Parallel Space with a modified version of the app.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14/15 Android 13/14 Replacing emojis is more difficult due to tighter security policies, and in some cases, you will need to roll back to an older version of the firmware.

7. Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

The choice of method depends on your skills and goals:

For most users, the best option is a combination of a third-party keyboard (such as Gboard with an iOS theme) and a MIUI theme. This gives 80% of the visual effect without risks.

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If you want an iOS emoji just for beauty in correspondence, you'll need a keyboard. If you want full integration, get ready for root or custom firmware.

FAQ: Frequent questions