How to turn on emoji on Xiaomi smartphones: 5 proven ways

You try to send a message with a smile, but instead of a colorful emoji, you only see squares or black and white characters? The problem with displaying emojis on Xiaomi is one of the most common among MIUI users, especially after a system update or firmware change. Unlike iPhone, where emojis are activated automatically, Redmi, Poco or Black Shark devices sometimes require manual adjustment.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible reasons why emojis might not work, from the banal lack of a keyboard with emoji support to system failures in MIUI 14/15. You’ll learn how to turn on emojis through standard settings, update fonts, install an alternative keyboard, and even manually add missing characters. And if the problem is deeper, we’ll give you a checklist to diagnose the malfunction.

Why aren’t emojis displayed on Xiaomi?

Before we get to the solution, it’s important to understand the root of the problem. emojis on Xiaomi may not work for several reasons:

• 📱 There is no keyboard with support for emoji: Standard Gboard or MIUI Keyboard may be disabled or damaged.
• 🔤 Outdated system fonts: B MIUI Emojis are stored in font files (NotoColorEmoji.ttf), which may not automatically update.
• 📲 Failure after update: Switch to a new version MIUI (For example, from 13 to 14) sometimes resets the display settings.
• 🚫 Blocking system applications: Antiviruses or optimizers (e.g., Security or Cleaner) may restrict access to fonts.
• 🌍 Regional restrictions: Some China firmware emojis are disabled by default.

If the emojis are displayed as □ Or [object], the problem is probably fonts, and if the emoji button is not on the keyboard at all, the input settings are to blame.

Method 1: Activate emojis through keyboard settings

The easiest way to return emojis is to check the settings of the current keyboard. Even if you use the Gboard or MIUI Keyboard, the emoji display settings can be reset.

Instructions for the standard MIUI keyboard:

1. Open Settings → System and device → Language and input → Current keyboard.
2. Put the badge on. ⚙️ near the active keyboard (for example, MIUI Keyboard).
3. Go to the text entry settings section → More.
4. Activate the Slider Show the Emoji button (or Emoji suggestions in English).

For Gboard (Google keyboard), the path will be different:

Gboard settings → Themes, emojis and GIFs → Emoji management

Make sure the keyboard is updated to the latest version

Check that the input language corresponds to the region (e.g., "Russian (Russia)")

Disable third-party keyboards (such as SwiftKey) while diagnosing

Reboot your smartphone after the changes-->

If the emoji button never appeared, try resetting the keyboard settings:

1. Go to the keyboard settings → Reset settings.
2. Confirm the action and restart the device.

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If you use a third-party keyboard (like SwiftKey or Fleksy), try temporarily switching to the standard MIUI Keyboard – sometimes emojis are blocked due to application conflict.

Method 2: Update system fonts in MIUI

Emojis on Android (including MIUI) are stored in font files that may become outdated or corrupted. If emojis have turned into squares after the system update, manual font updates are likely required.

How to check and update fonts:

1. Open the settings → About the phone → version of MIUI.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version line to activate the developer mode (if not already activated).
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Find the option Font Update (or Font Update) and click on it.
5. Confirm downloading and installing the latest version of the fonts.

If there is no option to update fonts, try an alternative method:

• 📲 Install iFont app from Google Play.
• 🔍 In the app, select the Emoji section and download the Noto Color Emoji package.
• 🔧 Follow the installation instructions (rights required) ADB or Magisk for rooted devices).

Method 3: Installation of an alternative keyboard

If standard methods didn’t work, try installing a third-party keyboard. for example, Google’s Gboard or Microsoft’s SwiftKey often performs better at displaying emojis than a standard MIUI Keyboard.

Instructions for installation of Gboard:

1. Download Gboard from Google Play.
2. Open Settings → System and device → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Activate Gboard and set it with the default keyboard.
4. Run any application to enter text (such as Messages) and tap the icon 😊 or 😢 on the keyboard to open the emoji panel.

The advantages of Gboard:

• 🎨 More Emoji Styles (Including Animated Styles).
• 🔍 The function of searching for emoji by keywords.
• 🌐 Support for regional options (for example, the flag of Russia or emoji with national costumes).

If the emojis are still not displayed after installing Gboard, check:

• 📵 Is there a traffic block for Google Play Services (sometimes security is interfered with) MIUI).
• 🔄 Is the keyboard updated to the latest version.
• 📱 Is your Xiaomi model compatible with Gboard (on some devices with the same name) MIUI China may be subject to restrictions).

Method 4: Manual replacement of emoji fonts (for advanced ones)

If none of the previous methods worked, you can try manually replacing the system fonts of emoji, which requires root rights or access through ADB, so it is only suitable for advanced users.

Step-by-step:

1. Download the current NotoColorEmoji.ttf font package (for example, from Google Noto).
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and activate Debugging via USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI → 7 taps → For developers → Debugging by USB).
3. Use ADB to copy the font file to the system folder: adb push NotoColorEmoji.ttf /system/fonts/ adb shell chmod 644 /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf
4. Reset the device.

Alternative method (without root, but with limitations):

• 📱 Install Emoji Switcher (requires Android 8.0)+).
• 🔧 Choose an emoji style (e.g. Google, Apple or Samsung).
• 🔄 Apply the changes and restart the device.

⚠️ Warning: Manual replacement of system files may result in download failure or loss of warranty.Before you start, backup through Mi Cloud or TWRP.

Method 5: Diagnostics and Remediation of System Failures

If the emojis still don't work, the problem can go deeper: corrupted system files, application conflicts, or even hardware constraints.

• 🛠️ Check system integrity: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Three points. → Show them the system. MIUI System and clear the cache.
• 🔄 Update. MIUI: Go to Settings. → The phone. → Update the system and install the latest firmware version.
• 🚫 Turn off optimizers: Apps like Security or Clean Master can block access to fonts. Go to their settings and turn off the "Font Optimization" feature".
• 📡 Check regional settings: If your Xiaomi is purchased in China, emojis can be disabled by default. Try changing region to Russia or Europe in Settings → Additionally. → Region.

If nothing works, the last chance is to reset to factory settings.

1. Create a backup through Settings → Memory → Backup.
2. Record or take pictures of important data (passwords, access codes).
3. Go to Settings → Additional → Resetting → Erase all data.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or Poco) F3) After the reset, you may need to re-activate your Mi Account. Make sure you remember your login and password!

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When setting up an emoji on Xiaomi, users often make the same mistakes.

• 🔧 Delete system fonts without backup, which can cause the interface to fail completely (the text will turn into hieroglyphics).
• 📲 Install fonts from unverified sources. Viruses in.ttf files are rare, but they may contain malicious code.
• 🔄 Interrupt the font update. If the process is stalled, wait 10-15 minutes before restarting the device.
• 🌍 Changing a region to a non-existent one (e.g., "USA" for Chinese firmware) may block access to certain features. MIUI.

If you encounter a black screen after replacing fonts, try:

1. Download in Safe Mode (hold the power button → “Reboot in Safe Mode”).
2. Remove newly installed fonts through Settings → Apps.
3. If the screen is not responsive, connect the device to your PC and roll back the changes via ADB: adb shell rm /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf

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If emojis are displayed correctly in some applications (for example, WhatsApp), but do not work in others (for example, SMS), the problem lies not in the fonts, but in the settings of the particular messenger.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions