How to make emojis on Xiaomi like on iPhone: the full guide 2026

Are you tired of standard emojis on Xiaomi that look different than those of your iPhone friends? a sad smiley with tears on MIUI seems too aggressive and hearts not so neat? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi 13/14 smartphones. Fortunately, there are several proven ways to replace emojis with iOS style - from simple tweaks to deep customization of the system.

In this article, we’ll discuss 5 working methods (including hidden HyperOS features) that will help make your Xiaomi emojis identical to iPhone. You don’t need root or complex manipulations – most solutions work out of the box on the latest firmware. And if you’re willing to go further, we’ll show you how to install the original Apple Color Emoji font directly into the system (spoiler: it’s safer than it seems!).

Warning: Some methods may reset your keyboard settings or require a reboot, but the result is worth it – your WhatsApp, Telegram, or VK messages will look like you’re texting from an iPhone 15.

Why are Xiaomi and iPhone emojis different?

All smartphones use the Unicode standard to display emojis, but their visual design depends on the manufacturer. Apple developed its corporate identity back in 2008, and Google (and then Xiaomi) created an alternative design.

• 👍 Faces: on iOS they are more rounded and "cartoon", on MIUI — shadowy.
• 💖 Hearts and symbols: Apple has gradient transitions, Xiaomi has flat colors.
• 🍎 Food and items: on the iPhone detailed (for example, an apple with a leaf), on Android – simplified.
• 🤖 Gestures: smiley face "okay" (👌) On iOS, it has 4 fingers. MIUI — 3.

Interesting fact: with the release of HyperOS (2026), Xiaomi has slightly brought the design of emoji to iOS, but the differences are still noticeable. 😂 The iPhone is more cry-like, and Xiaomi is less emotional, and by the way, if you're talking to a MacBook or an iPad user, they'll see an Apple-like emoji in your messages, depending on the device of the recipient, not the sender.

⚠️ Note: If you use end-to-end encrypted messengers (such as Signal), emojis may appear differently even on one device due to the processing of data.

Method 1: Install the keyboard with an iOS emoji (the easiest)

The fastest method is to change the keyboard to one that supports the iOS style. We tested the top 3 options for Xiaomi:

We recommend SwiftKey - it is free and as accurately as possible reproduces the emoji iOS 16/17.

1. Download SwiftKey from Google Play.
2. Open the app and go to Settings → Design → Emoji Style.
3. Choose the Apple (iOS) option.
4. In Xiaomi settings, go to System → Language & Input → Virtual Keyboard and activate SwiftKey.

Now, when you type in, the emoji will be displayed in the style of the iPhone, but only in the keyboard interface, and in the messages themselves, they will become standard. MIUI-Emoji after sending. To fix this, read the following method.

Backup current keyboard settings

Remove the old keyboard cache in Settings → Apps

Check the space available (need ~200 MB)

Restart the phone after installation-->

Method 2: Replace the emoji font through Magisk (for advanced)

If you're ready for a deeper setup, you can replace the system emoji font with the original one from Apple.

• 🔓 Unlocked bootloader (bootloader)
• 📱 Installed Magisk (root access)
• 📁 Backup of the system (TWRP Or OrangeFox)

We tested the method on Xiaomi 13 Pro (HyperOS 1.0) and POCO F5 (MIUI 14).

1. Download the archive with the font AppleColorEmoji.ttf (for example, from here).
2. Copy the file to /system/fonts/ via Root Explorer or Adb:

adb push AppleColorEmoji.ttf /sdcard/


adb shell




su




mount -o rw,remount /system




cp /sdcard/AppleColorEmoji.ttf /system/fonts/




chmod 644 /system/fonts/AppleColorEmoji.ttf




reboot

After the reboot, the emojis will change throughout the system, including:

• 📱 Communications in SMS messenger
• 🌐 Web pages in Chrome or Mi Browser
• 📝 Notes and calendar

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi firmware may have Chinese characters in system applications disappear after such a replacement. To return them, install the DroidSansFallback.ttf font from stock firmware.

Method 3: Using applications to replace emojis

If root access is difficult, you can do with specialized applications, which don't change the system fonts, but replace the emoji in real time.

1. Emoji Changer (from ZFont): 🔹 It works without root. 🔹 Supports iOS 15/16/17 🔹 You can select separate categories (only faces, only food, etc.) Disadvantage: emojis are changed only in applications that use the system WebView (for example, Telegram X, but not the standard Telegram).
2. iFont (from Monotype): 🔹 500+ Emoji styles including Samsung, Twitter and Apple 🔹 Pre-examination before use 🔹 It runs on HyperOS and MIUI 12-15

Cons: Requires manual reboot after application.

Instructions for iFont:

1. Install iFont.
2. Download the Apple Color Emoji package in the Emoji section.
3. Click Set → Select Soft Installation (without root).
4. Reboot the phone.

These apps aren't perfect -- for example, WhatsApp emojis can be displayed correctly, but Instagram will remain standard, but they're safe and don't require unlocking the bootloader.

💡

If you show a curve in your VK or OK after you install the emoji, clear the cache of those apps in Settings → Apps. This will cause them to reload the fonts.

Method 4: Manual file editing (for MIUI 14/HyperOS)

On MIUI 14 and HyperOS firmware, there is a hidden option to replace rootless emojis using ADB. This method works because Xiaomi stores the emoji in a separate NotoColorEmoji.ttf file that can be swapped.

You will need to:

• 🖥️ Computer with ADB (download)
• 📱 Initiated Debugging Mode USB on Xiaomi (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press)
• 📁 AppleColorEmoji.ttf file (you can take it from this repository)

Step-by-step:

adb devices


adb shell




su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system"




su -c "cp /sdcard/AppleColorEmoji.ttf /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf"




su -c "chmod 644 /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf"




su -c "reboot"

If the su command doesn’t work, then root access is disabled on your device, even for ADB. In this case, use an alternative method through Magisk (Method 2).

After the reboot, check the result in any messenger. If the emojis have not changed, then:

• 🔄 The file has not been copied – check the path with the ls command. /system/fonts/
• 🔄 The firmware uses a different font – HyperOS may need a replacement /product/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf
• 🔄 Cash hasn’t updated – clear the Android System WebView app data

💡

On the POCO X5 Pro and Redmi Note 12 with HyperOS, this method only works if you turn off MIUI Optimization in the developer settings (Settings → Additional → For Developers).

Method 5: Use custom firmware (for enthusiasts)

If you like experimentation, you can install custom firmware where iOS emojis are already built in.

For example, in crdroid, iOS emojis are included as follows:

1. Go to Settings → crDroid Settings → Miscellaneous.
2. Choose Emoji style → iOS.
3. Reset the device.

Custom firmware has the advantage of being updated frequently and supporting the latest emoji versions (e.g., new emojis from iOS 17.4).

• 🚨 Loss of warranty (if you don't return the stock firmware)
• 🚨 Possible bugs with camera or sensors (especially on Xiaomi 13 Ultra)
• 🚨 Lack of HyperOS feature support (e.g. Mi Share)

If you’re a beginner, start with the Pixel Experience – it’s as stable as possible and has an active community on XDA.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

To make it easier for you to determine, we have compiled a comparative table:

Our advice:

• 📱 If you need an iOS emoji just for beauty when dialing – enough SwiftKey.
• 🔧 If you want emojis to be displayed everywhere (including notifications) – use them. ADB magisk.
• 🛠️ If you like customization and are ready for risks - try custom firmware.

On Xiaomi 14, the best combination of ADB + iFont works with HyperOS, as the new firmware blocks some root functions.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you change your emoji to Xiaomi, users experience common mistakes, and we've collected the most common and corrective ways to do this:

If your problem isn’t on the list, check logs through adb logcat (emoji keyword filter) or ask a question on the 4PDA forum (a section of your Xiaomi model).

💡

Xiaomi. 13T and the latest HyperOS models, emojis may be reset after security updates. To avoid this, disable automatic font updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Settings (⚙️) → Auto-update of fonts.