How to put emojis like on iPhone on Xiaomi through themes: the complete guide

Are you used to the bright and memorable emojis from the iPhone, but you use a Xiaomi smartphone? Good news: you can transfer the style of emojis from iOS to Redmi, Poco or Mi without root rights and complex manipulations — just use the built-in feature of the themes. In this article, we will analyze all the ways, from official solutions to workarounds, and also tell you why sometimes emojis are displayed incorrectly and how to fix it.

The main method is to install a theme that supports Apple’s emoji font. However, not all the themes in the Mi Theme Store work equally well: some only change icons, others completely replace system emojis. We tested popular solutions on Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and Poco F5 to identify the most reliable options. Also in this article you will find instructions for devices with MIUI 14 and later, where the algorithm for using themes has changed a little.

Why are Xiaomi and iPhone emojis different?

The difference between Android and iOS emojis is in system fonts. Apple uses its own Apple Color Emoji set, which is updated along with the iOS version. Xiaomi, like other Android manufacturers, has emojis based on Google's open standard Noto Color Emoji, which looks different.

• 😂 iPhone: Slightly tilted face with open mouth and tears.
• 😂 Xiaomi has a rounder face with closed eyes and big tears.
• 🍕 iPhone – Pizza with neat pieces and olives.
• 🍕 Xiaomi – pizza with uneven edges and other toppings.

In addition to visual differences, there are technical: some emojis (for example, emojis, 🫠 or 🫡) It may not be available in older versions. MIUI, While they appear on iPhones immediately after the iOS update, Apple also adds animations for emojis (for example, for the iPhone). 🎉 or ❤️), What is not in standard Android.

Preparation of Xiaomi smartphone to install themes

Before you change your emoji, make sure your Xiaomi is ready to change.

1. Updated version of MIUI. On devices with MIUI 12 and older, the themes are more stable. You can check the version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
2. Mi Account. Without it, you can’t download themes from the official store. Register or log in to Settings → Xiaomi Account.
3. Free space. The theme weighs 10 to 50 MB, but it needs at least 500 MB of free space to work properly.
4. Disabled restrictions: In some regions (e.g. the EU), topics may be blocked. If the theme store does not open, try changing your account region to India or Russia.

If you use a Poco Launcher or a third-party shell, go back to the standard MIUI Launcher. Some themes conflict with alternative launchers, which may cause emojis to remain unchanged. Also check if you have customization apps like iFont or ZFont installed, which may override theme settings.

Method 1: Install theme with iOS emojis through Mi Theme Store

The easiest method is to download the finished theme from the official store.

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to the Topics tab and search for iOS emoji or Apple emoji.
3. Choose a High Ranked Theme (4.5+ Stars) and lots of downloads. Popular options: 🍎 [iOS 16] Emoji Theme – a complete replacement of emojis with the style of iOS 16. 📱 iPhone Emoji Pack – lightweight theme for emoji only. 🎨 Miui iOS Mix – a combined theme with emojis and icons.

Download

Apply

Reboot your phone to make the changes take effect.

If the emojis have not changed after applying the topic, check:

• 🔄 Does the theme apply to all elements (the font box should be in the theme settings).
• 📱 Is the theme compatible with your Xiaomi model (some only run on flagships).
• 🔧 Does antivirus (e.g. Mi Security) block font installation.

Method 2: Manually add emoji font (for advanced)

If the official themes don't work, you can manually replace the system emoji, which requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights, but gives you complete control over the look of the emoji.

• 🖥️ Computer with ADB and Fastboot.
• 📄 AppleColorEmoji.ttf font file (can be extracted from the iPhone backup or downloaded from the Githab).
• 🔧 Root Explorer or Mixplorer with root access.

Instructions:

1. Download the archive with iOS Emoji fonts and unpack it. You need an AppleColorEmoji.ttf file.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC and execute the command to mount the system partition: adb shell su mount -o rw, remount /system
3. Copy the font file to /system/fonts/ on your phone, replacing your existing NotoColorEmoji.ttf.
4. Change the permissions to access the file: chmod 644 /system/fonts/AppleColorEmoji.ttf
5. Reset the device.

Warning: Incorrectly replacing system fonts can lead to bootloop (a looped reboot).Before manipulation, backup through TWRP or Mi Flash Tool.

💡

If you change the font, you can check the file encoding, and sometimes converting the font to.ttc through online services like FontForge helps.

Comparison of popular themes with iOS emojis for Xiaomi

To save you time, we tested 5 popular themes and made a table with their features:

Important: The iOS 17 Emoji Beta theme may conflict with some instant messengers (e.g., Telegram emojis are displayed correctly, but WhatsApp does not). If you are actively using Viber or Signal, choose themes based on iOS 16 - they are time-tested.

Problems and Solutions: Why Do Emojis Not Change?

Even after setting the theme, emojis may remain the same, and here are common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

• 🔄 The theme is not fully applied. Go to Settings → Topics → My themes and check that the tick is opposite the Font.
• 📱 Model incompatibility. Some themes only work on devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi K50).
• 🔧 Conflict with other modifications. If you have previously changed fonts through iFont, delete this app and clear the cache.
• 🌐 Regional restrictions: In some countries (e.g. China) iOS emojis are blocked. Try changing region on your Mi Account.

If the emojis have changed but look “lubricated” or with artifacts, it may be due to screen resolution, tests have shown that on devices with FHD+ resolution (for example, Redmi Note 11), the emojis are more clearly displayed than on HD+ (for example, Poco C50).

💡

If the emojis are back to standard after the reboot, then the theme does not support your version of MIUI. Try to roll back to older firmware or use the method of manual font replacement.

How to bring back standard emojis to Xiaomi?

If you didn’t like the experiment with Apple’s emoji, you can return the original emoji in two ways:

1. Through the theme settings: Open Themes → My Themes. Select a standard theme (Default or MIUI). Confirm the application and restart the phone.
2. Through font reset (if the theme is not removed): Go to Settings → Apps → Application Management. Find Themes, click Storage → Clear Data. Set any other theme and remove it immediately, it will reset the fonts.

If you have manually changed fonts through root, return the original NotoColorEmoji.ttf file back to /system/fonts/.

1. Download the stock firmware for your model from the Mi Community website.
2. Remove the file NotoColorEmoji.ttf (located in system/fonts/).
3. Replace the current file with Root Explorer.

FAQ: Frequent questions about emojis on Xiaomi

If none of these methods worked, check to see if you have modified firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) that often blocks Xiaomi system themes, in which case the only way out is to manually replace fonts through Magisk.