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How to Enable Emoticons on Your iPhone (iOS 5+)

May 15, 2012 08:56 PM
May 15, 2013 12:31 AM

The most recent version of the iPhone Software (iOS 5) has the ability to utilize emoticons by use of the native keyboard and software, no third-party app or jailbreak required. Just follow these simple steps for unlocking the emoticon keyboard:

Open "Settings"

From your iPhone's Springboard (or home screen) open the native settings app.

Settings app icon on a mobile device.

General

From the main page (it should say "Settings" on the top bar), scroll down and select "General".

Settings menu on an iPhone with options visible.

Keyboard

Scroll down and select the "Keyboard" menu item.

Settings menu on a smartphone showing options for Auto-Lock, Passcode Lock, Restrictions, Date & Time, Keyboard, International, and Accessibility.

International Keyboards

Select "International Keyboards" near the bottom of the screen.

Keyboard settings on a smartphone, highlighting the option for International Keyboards.

Add New Keyboard...

Selecting the "Add New Keyboard..." menu item will bring in a long list of available keyboard layouts in many languages.

Keyboard settings menu on a mobile device.

Emoji

Select "Emoji" from the list. After selecting, you will be brought back to the "Keyboard" menu. You can either navigate back to the main setting screen or just press your "Home" button to return to your springboard/home screen.

"List of keyboard languages on a mobile device, highlighting 'Emoji' option."

Using the Emoticon Keyboard

If you now navigate to an app that utilizes the keyboard (e.g. Messages), you will notice a new button on the keyboard in the lower left corner; it looks like a wire sphere. This button will be used to toggle between your standard keyboard and the Emoji keyboard.

New message interface on a smartphone with emoji keyboard.

Tips

  • The Emoji Keyboard has a tab selection along the bottom and pages within each tab.
  • Tap the tab the you would like, then swipe to the right or left to view the emoticon available.

Now you can easily show how you are feeling with that next message sent! :)

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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