How to change emoticons on Xiaomi: from standard themes to custom emojis

Standard emojis on Xiaomi smartphones often seem boring or unexpressive — especially when compared to animated emojis from Apple, Samsung or even Google. Fortunately, owners of Redmi, POCO or Mi devices can replace them with alternative sets without complex manipulation. In this article, we will analyze all the working methods, from official themes to manual editing of system files.

It's important to understand that the methods vary in complexity and risk. For example, installing custom fonts through ADB requires minimal technical skills, and replacing emojis through root access can lead to a loss of warranty. We will describe each option in detail so that you can choose the best one, whether it's a quick change of topic or a deep customization for yourself.

1.Switching emojis through official MIUI themes

The easiest and safest way is to use the built-in theme feature in MIUI. Xiaomi offers several free and paid emoji sets that change the look of emojis in all applications, including keyboard and instant messengers.

To activate alternative emojis:

• 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
• 🔍 In the search bar, enter “emoji” or “smiley».
• 🎨 Choose your favorite theme (e.g. iOS Emoji, Samsung One) UI Twitter Emoji).
• 📥 Click "Apply" - the system will automatically replace the standard emoji.

Note that not all themes change emoji globally. Some only affect the MIUI keyboard or individual apps. To check the result, open any WhatsApp or Telegram chat - if the emoji hasn't changed, try a different set.

2. Installation of custom fonts with emojis through ADB

If the built-in themes aren’t enough, you can replace the system font that contains emojis, requiring ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and a.ttf or.otf font file that supports Unicode characters, which works on most Xiaomi devices without root rights, but requires USB debugging.

Step-by-step:

1. Download a custom font archive (e.g. Noto Color Emoji or Twemoji) from a trusted source (we recommend Google Fonts repository).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute a command to check the connection: Adb devices The device should appear in the list.
3. Copy the font to the system folder: adb push NotoColorEmoji.ttf /sdcard/ adb shell su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system" adb shell su -c "cp /sdcard/NotoColorEmoji.ttf /system/fonts/"
4. Reset the device.

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB Before executing commands, back up your data and make sure the font file is compatible with your version of Android. MIUI 14+ Additional permission to register in the /system.

Install ADB PC-only|Enable debugging on USB developer-setting|Download compatible font with emoji|Create a backup copy of the data|Check the vacant space in /system-->

3.Using third-party keyboards with their own emojis

If you don’t want to change your system files, the alternative is to install a keyboard that supports custom emojis, and popular apps like Gboard, SwiftKey, or Fleksy allow you to choose your emoji style regardless of the system.

How to set up:

• 📲 Install the keyboard from Google Play (e.g. Gboard).
• 🔧 Open the keyboard settings and find the "Emoji" or "Smoody style" section».
• 🎨 Select your preferred set (e.g. Blob Emoji or iOS 16 Style).
• ✅ Activate the keyboard in the system settings (Settings) → Additionally. → Language and input).

The downside of this method is that emojis will only be displayed when using the selected keyboard. In some messengers (for example, Viber), the emoji style can be reset to the system.

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To make Gboard emojis look the same as iOS, set the iOS 16 Emoji theme in the keyboard settings and turn off the “Show Android-style emoji” option.

4. Replace emojis through root access (for advanced)

Users with root rights can completely replace system emojis by editing files in the /system/font folder. This method gives maximum freedom, but requires caution - an error can lead to a bootloop ( looped reboot).

Instructions:

1. Download the archive from an emoji (e.g. Samsung One UI 5.0 Emoji) and unpack it.
2. Use Root Explorer or Solid Explorer with superuser rights to navigate to /system/font.
3. Find the NotoColorEmoji.ttf and EmojiCompat.ttf files – they need to be replaced with downloaded ones.
4. Set resolutions 644 (rw-r-----) for new files.
5. Reset the device.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI After replacing the emoji, icons in the status bar may disappear or the text display in system applications will be disrupted. TWRP Or OrangeFox Recovery.

5.Apps for customization of emoji without root

If you do not want to risk system files, you can use specialized applications that superimpose custom emojis on top of standard ones.

• 🎭 Emoji Changer – allows you to choose the style of emoji for individual applications.
• 🖌️ Textra SMS — Messenger with support for alternative emojis.
• 📱 Z Font 3 – a tool for replacing fonts and emoji without root (requires) MIUI 12+).

These programs do not change system files, but simply replace the display of emoji in supported apps. For example, in Emoji Changer, you can choose the iOS style for WhatsApp, and for Telegram you can leave the standard MIUI.

The disadvantage is that not all apps support this swapping, for example, on Instagram or Facebook Messenger, emojis can be displayed in their original form.

6. Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

To make the choice easier, we have compiled a table with the pros and cons of each method:

On devices with MIUI 14 and later, official themes may not change the emoji in some system applications (for example, in Contacts or Messages), in which case the only reliable way is to replace fonts through ADB or root.

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For most users, the best option is a combination of official MIUI themes and a third-party keyboard (such as Gboard with an iOS Emoji suite), which gives visual diversity without risk to the system.

FAQ: Frequent questions about replacing emoji with Xiaomi