How to replace iOS emojis on Android emojis on Xiaomi

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often face visual inconsistencies when communicating with Apple users. Instead of the usual yellow koloboks, messages display realistic three-dimensional images typical of the iOS operating system, which is because many Android users specifically install third-party fonts or modifications to give their device the appearance of an iPhone.

But this approach creates confusion: when you send a smiley face, you see one thing, and the recipient on Android sees another thing, or the display system is not working correctly. You can return a standard, understandable set of emojis, but the method of solving depends on the way Apple icons were introduced earlier, the process can range from simple change of theme to complex editing of system files.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to return native emojis. We will look at the regular tools of the MIUI and HyperOS shell, as well as methods for advanced users who have access to the system partition. It is important to understand that replacing system files always carries risks, so follow the instructions carefully.

Why Apple’s emojis appear on Android

The fundamental reason is the architecture of the Android operating system. Unlike closed ecosystems, rendering graphic elements, including emojis, depends on the active system font and Unicode rule set. Google Emoji's standard package looks flat and schematic, while Apple's library is famous for its detail.

Users often go to the trick of installing themes from the GetThemes store or third-party repositories that replace the system file. font_miui.otf Or NotoColorEmoji.ttf. This allows you to see the images that are familiar to iPhone fans right in the typing menu, but this customization violates compatibility standards.

When you send this smiley to a user on another Android phone, they may see a question mark box or a completely different character, because there are differences in encoding and there is no corresponding glyph in the standard font of the recipient, and you need to remove this problem to properly display the communication.

• 🍏 Third-party topics: The main source of the problem, replacing the graphical shell of the interface.
• 📱 System File Modification: Manually Replace Font Libraries at the Root of the System.
• 🌐 Web rendering: Some applications (such as Telegram or VK) Use their own emoji sets, ignoring system settings.

⚠️ Warning: If you downloaded a theme that promises “iOS style” but don’t remember where exactly, check the “Themes” section in the settings. Often, it’s enough to simply turn off the active theme so that the fonts return to factory values.

It’s also worth noting that some shell manufacturers specifically integrate iOS-like elements into their launchers to improve the visual experience, but in the case of Xiaomi, it’s almost always the result of the user’s own actions or installing customization software.

Disabling iOS emojis through theme settings

The easiest and safest way to get things back to their place is to check out active themes. MIUI and HyperOS shells allow you to change your visual style deeply without getting super-user permissions. If a problem has recently arisen, the Themes app is most likely to be to blame.

First, you need to go to the standard Themes app (tube icon) and in the lower right corner is the user profile, where you store all your downloads and activations history, we need the My Pages or Profile section, and then the Topic tab.

You'll see an active theme in the list, and if it's not a standard Classic or Default theme, it's probably the problem. Click on a theme called Classic (or Standard) and select Apply. The system will reboot the interface, and the fonts should go back to factory fonts.

If changing the theme to the standard didn't help, maybe it was just the font, not the whole theme, so you should go to Settings, look for Screen, and then select Font, and you should select any system font, like Roboto or MI Sans, and apply the changes.

• 🎨 Open the “Themes” app on your desktop.
• 👤 Go to the user profile (human icon).
• ✅ Select a standard theme and click “Apply».

After the changes are applied, it is recommended to completely reboot the device, which will clear the GUI cache and force the system to read all configuration font files again, 90% of the time this action is enough to make the iOS emoji disappear.

Using Magisk Modules for Advanced Users

For owners of devices with an unlocked bootloader and Magisk (or KernelSU) installed, the emoji return process looks different. Often users put modules like iOS Emoji Mod, which replace the system file GoogleSans.ttf or NotoColorEmoji.ttf with a modified version.

To remove these changes, you don't have to reset or flash it completely. You just go to the Magisk app, go to the Modules tab (the cube icon at the bottom), and in the list of active modules, find anything that has to do with emojis, fonts or iOS.

Click on the Recycle Bin button next to the module -> Confirm Deletion -> Press the Reboot button.

Deleting the module will restore the original system files from the backup that is created automatically when installed, which is the cleanest method, since it guarantees the return of exactly those versions of files that were in the system before the modification.

If the module was installed a long time ago and you do not remember its name, look in the listanything associated with Emoji, Font or SystemUI. Be careful: removing system modules that are not associated with fonts can lead to unstable operation of the device.

⚠️ Warning: Never delete modules if the device is in the process of recording data or updating.This can cause a software crash when the phone stops booting.

In some cases, the modules may conflict with each other. If the smileys have not changed after removing one module, check if several font modification packages are installed at the same time. Only one set of rendering rules can remain active.

Manual replacement of system files via Root access

If there are no modules and the theme is standard, it is possible that the files were manually replaced through a Root-enabled file manager (such as Root Explorer or MT Manager), in which case you need to find the original font files and replace the modified ones.

The main files responsible for emojis are located along the path /system/fonts/ or /system/font/. We are interested in NotoColorEmoji.ttf files and sometimes GoogleSans.ttf. To work, you will need a copy of the original file, which can be taken from the stock firmware of your model or downloaded from trusted resources (for example, 4PDA or XDA).

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Copy the original NotoColorEmoji.ttf file into internal memory.
2. Go to /system/fonts/ through the Root Manager.
3. Back up your current file (rename it NotoColorEmoji.ttf.bak).
4. Insert a new file and give it access rights rw-r--r-- (644).

It's critical to respect access rights. If you just replace the file but don't set up 644, the system won't be able to read the font, and instead of emoji, you'll get empty squares or a crash of the interface.

This method is the most reliable, but also the riskiest. A single byte error or incorrect access rights can cause the phone to go into a cyclical reboot. Always have a working TWRP on hand or the ability to roll back via Fastboot.

Configure the display in messengers

Sometimes the problem is not in the system, but in a specific application. Messengers like Telegram, Viber or WhatsApp can use their own rendering libraries, ignoring the system settings of Xiaomi.

On Telegram, for example, you can choose the style of displaying emojis regardless of the system. Go to Settings -> Chat Settings (or General).Look for Smiley Set and select Android or Google, instead of iOS or Twitter.

WhatsApp always uses its own set of emojis, which are updated with the app via Google Play. If Apple emojis are displayed here, then you are using a modified version of the client (such as GBWhatsApp or WhatsApp Plus), where this feature is enabled in the theme settings.

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If the emojis are only "danced" in one app, try clearing its cache. Go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps -> Select the app -> Storage -> Clear the cache.

For Viber and Instagram Direct, the rules are similar: they pull graphics packages either from the system or from their own updates.Make sure all apps are updated to the latest version through the official Google Play store or GetApps.

• 📲 Telegram: Setup inside the application (Chat settings).
• 💬 WhatsApp: Depends on version (official/mod).
• 📸 Instagram: Uses system rendering or its own depending on the OS version.

It's important to understand the difference between system emojis and those that are drawn inside the app. System emojis are visible in the notification curtain, in the keyboard search, and in standard applications (SMS, Notes). If the problem is only in the messenger, you don't need to log in.

Compatibility and encoding problems of Unicode

Even after returning standard fonts, you may encounter artifacts, which is because the Unicode standard is constantly updated. New emojis (such as new professions, flags or skin colors) that have appeared in iOS 16/17 may not be in your Android Emoji package.

If your iPhone user sends you a smiley face that came out a month ago and you have an old Android 11 font, you'll see an empty square. That's OK. The emoji set update only happens with an update to Android or through an update to Google Play (EmojiCompat module).

On Xiaomi devices, this process can be slowed down by the manufacturer to check for updates to system components:

1. Open the Settings.
2. Go to About the Phone.
3. Click on either MIUI or HyperOS (or the three-point icon).
4. Select Check for Updates.

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Full compatibility between iOS and Android is not possible due to different visual styles, but the basic character set always appears correctly on both platforms.

There are also third-party keyboards, such as Gboard or Facemoji, that can customize the look of smileys to the style of the interlocutor or the chosen theme. Check the keyboard settings: in Gboard this is the Settings -> Settings -> Smileys section, where you can choose the display style.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)