How to make emoticons on Android Redmi like on an iPhone without apps: 3 proven methods

Are you tired of standard emoticons on your Xiaomi Redmi and want them to look as stylish as on iPhone? Many users MIUI face this problem: Emoji on Android often seem less elaborate than their iOS counterparts. The good news is that you can change them without installing additional applicationswithout rooting or complex manipulations with the system.

In this article we will look at three working methodsthat will help you update emoticons to the Apple style directly on your smartphone Redmi Note 12/13, POCO X5 or any other model running MIUI 14/15. All methods have been tested on current firmware versions and do not require special knowledge. Important: some settings may vary slightly depending on the regional version of MIUI, but the general principle remains the same.

Why emoticons on Redmi and iPhone are they different?

The difference in the display of emoji is due to the fact that each operating system uses its own set of graphic files. Apple develops the design of emoticons exclusively for iOS, and Google for Android. Smartphone manufacturers (including Xiaomi) can modify the standard Android emoji to suit their corporate style, which leads to visual differences.

For example, compare what the 😂 emoticon looks like on different platforms:

• 🔴 iOS (Apple): rounded shapes, soft shadows, detailed eyes and mouth.
• 🟢 MIUI (Xiaomi): flatter design, simplified facial features, bright colors.
• 🔵 Stock Android (Google): intermediate option with an emphasis on minimalism.

Key point: emoticons are not just pictures, a system fonts. Their appearance is determined by the .ttf or .otffiles built into the firmware. Therefore, to change emoji, you need to replace these files or force the system to use an alternative set.

Method 1: Changing the system font through the MIUI settings

The simplest method is to use the built-in function change font in MIUI. Not everyone knows, but along with the font you can also upload an alternative set of emoji. Here's how to do it:

1. Open Settings → Advanced → Font.
2. In the list of available fonts, find the option "Download fonts" (may be called "Get more" fonts").
3. In the search bar, enter iOS or Apple. Fonts like "iOS Emoji Font" or "San Francisco" (Apple system font) should appear among the results.
4. Download and apply the selected font. After rebooting the smartphone, the emoticons in most applications will change.

⚠️ Attention: This method does not work in all applications. For example, in WhatsApp or Instagram emoji may remain the same, since these services use their own sets of emoticons that do not depend on the system font.

Back up your important data|Charge your phone for at least 50%|Connect to Wi-Fi to download fonts|Check free space (~50 MB required)|Make sure MIUI is updated to the latest version-->

Method 2: Using ADB commands (without root)

If the first method did not work or you want deeper changes, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This tool allows you to make changes to the system without obtaining root access. You will need a computer with installed drivers Xiaomi and app ADB.

Instructions:

1. Download Platform Tools from the official Android website and unpack the archive.
2. Activate on your smartphone Settings → About phone → MIUI version (press 7 times to enable developer mode). Then go to Settings → Advanced → For developers and enable "USB debugging".
3. Connect Redmi to the computer and in the folder with ADB open the command line (Shift + right mouse button → "Open PowerShell window here").
4. Enter the command to check the connection:

   adb devices

   If the device is detected, run:

   adb shell settings put secure sysui_tunable_emoji_style 1

   This command forces the system to use an alternative emoji style (if it is supported by your firmware).

5. Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: Not all versions of MIUI support this command. If after reboot nothing has changed, return the original value:

adb shell settings put secure sysui_tunable_emoji_style 0

Also be careful with other ADB commands - incorrect actions can disrupt the system.

What to do if ADB does not see the device?

If command adb devices returns an empty list, try this:

1. Make sure that USB debugging is enabled and you have confirmed your trust in the computer on the smartphone screen.

2. Check if the drivers are installed Xiaomi (download Mi PC Suite from the official website).

3. Try another USB cable (preferably the original one).

4. Restart your computer and smartphone.

5. If you are using Windows, run the command prompt as an administrator.

Method 3: Manually replacing emoji files (for advanced users)

This method requires more effort, but gives a guaranteed result. You will need:

• 📱 Smartphone Redmi with an unlocked bootloader (but not necessarily root).
• 💻 Computer with ADB i Fastboot.
• 📁 Archive with emoji from iOS (can be found on thematic forums, for example, XDA Developers).

Step-by-step guide:

1. Download an archive with emoji files for iOS (usually these are files NotoColorEmoji.ttf and EmojiCompat.ttf, modified to match the Apple style).
2. Connect your smartphone to the computer and copy the files to the folder /system/fonts/ using the command:

   adb push NotoColorEmoji.ttf /sdcard/
   adb shell
   su
   mount -o rw,remount /system
   cp /sdcard/NotoColorEmoji.ttf /system/fonts/
   chmod 644 /system/fonts/NotoColorEmoji.ttf
   reboot

3. After the reboot, the emoticons in most applications will change to the iOS style.

Method	Difficulty	Requires a PC	Works in instant messengers	Reversibility
Changing the font in MIUI	⭐	❌ No	⚠️ Partially	✅ Yes
ADB commands	⭐⭐	✅ Yes	⚠️ Partially	✅ Yes
Manual replacement of files	⭐⭐⭐	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (except WhatsApp)	⚠️ Requires rollback

⚠️ Attention: Manually changing system files can lead to malfunctions of the smartphone, especially if you replace the wrong files or violate access rights before starting the procedure be sure to make a backup copy via Settings → System → Backup.

Why don’t emoticons change in WhatsApp and Telegram?

Many users are faced with the fact that even after successfully replacing emoji in the system, in instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) emoticons remain the same. This happens because popular applications use own sets of emoji, which are loaded from them. servers.

Here's how to get around this limitation:

• 📲 Telegram: In the chat settings you can enable the "Local Emoji" option, but this does not guarantee the iOS style. It is better to use bots like @Stickerthat offer packs of emoticons in the style. Apple.
• 💬 WhatsApp: It is impossible to change emoji here - they are strictly tied to the server part of the application. An alternative is to send emoji as stickers (there are sticker packs for iOS). WhatsApp there are sticker packs for iOS).
• 🌐 Web versions of messengers: In the browser, emoji are displayed according to the style of the computer's operating system. On Mac they will be like on the iPhone, on Windows the same as in standard Android.

If the uniformity of emoticons in all applications is critical for you, consider using alternative keyboards (for example, Gboard with an iOS theme) or installation launcherthat emulates the iPhone interface. However, this is already beyond the scope of the article.

How to return standard emoticons to Redmi?

If you are not satisfied with the result or have problems after the changes, you can return the original emoji as follows methods:

• 🔄 For the method with changing the font: Go to Settings → Advanced → Font and select a standard font "MIUI" or "Roboto".
• 🖥️ For ADB commands: Run the command:

  adb shell settings put secure sysui_tunable_emoji_style 0

  and reboot the device.

• 🛠️ To manually replace files: Restore the original emoji files from a backup or reflash the smartphone via Fastboot (instructions are available on the official website Xiaomi).

If, after manipulating system files, the smartphone begins to work unstable (for example, artifacts appear when displaying text or applications crash), do reset to factory settings via Settings → System → Reset settingsBefore doing this, do not forget to save important data!

Common errors and how to avoid them

When trying to change emoticons, users often encounter typical problems. Here are the most common ones and how to solve them. solutions:

Problem	Cause	Solution
Emojis have changed only in some applications	Applications use their own sets of emoji	Try the method of manually replacing files or use alternative keyboards
After changing the font, some characters disappeared	Not all fonts support the full set of emoji	Choose another font or return the standard one
ADB does not sees the device	There are no drivers or USB debugging is not enabled	Install Mi PC Suite and check the developer settings
After manually replacing files, the smartphone does not turn on	Access rights have been violated or replaced critical files	Restore the firmware via Fastboot or contact the service center

⚠️ Attention: If you use Redmi s locked bootloader, any attempts to change system files without unlocking may lead to "briku" (complete inoperability) of the device. Before experiments, check the status of the bootloader using the command:

fastboot oem device-info

If the answer contains line Device unlocked: false, unlock the bootloader officially via Mi Unlock Tool.

FAQ: Answers to. popular questions

Is it possible to change emoticons on Redmi without a computer?

Yes, but only in the first way - by changing the font in the MIUI settings. Methods with ADB and manually replacing files require connecting to a PC. You can also use keyboards that support iOS emojis (for example iFont or Kika Keyboard), but they will not change the emoticons throughout the system.

Why did the emoticons become standard again after the MIUI update?

Updating the firmware may reset custom fonts or replace modified system files with standard ones. To avoid this, repeat the replacement procedure after the update. emoji. If you use the manual method, it is recommended to create a script to automatically restore files after the update.

Is it safe to install fonts from third-party sources?

You should install fonts only from trusted sources (for example, the official MIUI theme store or trusted developers on XDA Developers). code or disrupt the display of text. Always check the reviews and rating before downloading.

Is it possible to make emoticons like on the iPhone 15?

Yes, but to do this you need to find the current set of emoji from iOS 17 (used in iPhone 15). Such files appear on thematic forums a few months after the release of the new version of iOS. Please note that the emoji design in iOS 17 is slightly different from previous versions (for example, skin tones and some details of the emoji faces have changed).

Will this method work on POCO or Black Shark?

Yes, all the described methods are suitable for any smartphones based on MIUIincluding POCO, Black Shark and other sub-brands Xiaomi. The exception is devices with custom firmware (for example, LineageOS), where other approaches may be required.