Skip to main content

How to enable the emoji keyboard on an iPhone

Smartphones have revolutionized the way we communicate, and emoji are a big part of the reason why. These little cartoon symbols have helped us communicate quickly while also adding a layer of expression to our messages. Whether you’re happy, sad, or anything in between, there’s an emoji that will help you capture your emotions. However, all those emoji won’t do you any good if you can’t figure out how to activate them and work the keyboard.

In this guide, we’ll fill you in on how you can quickly and easily add the emoji keyboard to the Messages app in iOS.

How to enable the emoji keyboard on an iPhone

If you’re champing at the bit to start using emoji on your iPhone, it’s easy to get started. All you need to do is to make sure that you have the emoji font enabled. You’ll know if you do because your keyboard will clearly display the familiar smiley face at the bottom row of your keyboard. If you don’t see it, here’s how to enable it.

Navigate to Settings on your iPhone, scroll down, and press the General option. Once you’re there, hit Keyboard and then Keyboards to access the Add New Keyboard command. After this, scroll down and tap Emoji (you’ll see this in the language list and other keyboards).

Congratulations, now you can finally start using your emoji keyboard. Enjoy the freedom in using a slew of smileys, and what kind of smiley you use is entirely up to you. Your family and friends aren’t even ready for all the incredible emojis you’re about to send.

To ensure you’ve successfully downloaded and installed the emoji keyboard, take some time to examine your existing keyboard. You should see a smiley face here immediately. This joyful icon is the tell-tale sign that you can start using your emoji keyboard right away. When you want to start sending emojis, simply click the smiley face icon, and a group of other symbols included in the font will pop up. You can use your emoji font with various iPhone apps, including Mail, Notes, and Messages. If you prefer, you can also use it in the plenty of other apps you’ve installed that are compatible with Apple’s Color Emoji font.

We acknowledge that emojis are entertaining to use, but the truth is, they aren’t essential (especially in the professional world). Because of this, you can always remove your emoji keyboard. The process only takes about a minute altogether. To do this, navigate to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards. Once you’re there, click Edit in the top-right corner, then click Delete (you’ll notice this is right next to Emoji). Verify that you want to delete your emoji keyboard by hitting Delete a second time.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler is a journalist based in London, UK. He covers technology and finance, contributing to such titles as Digital…
One of our favorite Android phones just got its own iMessage app
Nothing Chats app on a. phone.

Nothing is trying to bridge the great blue/green bubble divide for Android users of iMessage. This is not a personal crusade to shatter walls and open windows, as much as Nothing CEO Carl Pei would want you to believe that. Instead, Nothing is piggybacking on tech created by New York-based startup Sunbird. 
Technically, the Sunbird app can be installed on any Android phone and it features a blue bubble for all iMessage text exchanges involving an Android phone. No more green bubble shame that could get you kicked out of groups for disrupting the harmony or even slim your dating chances. That’s how bad it is! 
Nothing is adopting the Sunbird tech and bundling it as its very own app under the name Nothing Chats. But here’s the fun part. The app only works on the Nothing Phone 2 and not the Nothing Phone 1. And this life-altering boon will only be bestowed upon users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., or the EU bloc.

The app is currently in the beta phase, which means some iMessage features will be broken or absent. Once the app is downloaded on your Nothing Phone 2, you can create a new account or sign up with your Apple ID to get going with blue bubble texts. 
Just in case you’re concerned, all messages will be end-to-end encrypted, and the app doesn’t collect any personal information, such as the users’ geographic location or the texts exchanged. Right now, Sunbird and Nothing have not detailed the iMessage features and those that are broken. 
We made iMessage for Android...
The Washington Post tried an early version of the Nothing Chats app and notes that the blue bubble system works just fine. Texts between an Android device and an iPhone are neatly arranged in a thread, and multimedia exchange is also allowed at full quality. 
However, message editing is apparently not available, and a double-tap gesture for responding with a quick emoji doesn’t work either. We don’t know when these features will be added. Nothing's Sunbird-based app will expand to other territories soon. 
Sunbird, however, offers a handful of other tricks aside from serving the iMessage blue bubble on Android. It also brings all your other messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, in one place. This isn’t an original formula, as Beeper offers the same convenience.

Read more
The iPhone’s futuristic satellite tech isn’t coming to Android any time soon
The Google Pixel 8's screen.

It could take a while before Android phones allow satellite connectivity to assist users in emergency scenarios, thanks in no part to Qualcomm canceling its ambitious Snapdragon Satellite plans. Apple introduced satellite SOS support last year with the iPhone 14 series, with the intention of helping people when they are out of cellular or broadband coverage range.

The feature allows you to text emergency responders, share locations, and request roadside assistance. But not long after, hope emerged for Android phones. Earlier this year, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Satellite, with the goal of aping Apple’s initiative for Android phones.

Read more
iPhone update fixes troublesome bug that broke NFC features for some users
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple’s latest iPhone update has addressed an irksome bug that caused Apple Pay and other NFC features on iPhone 15 handsets to stop working after charging the device using BMW’s in-car wireless chargers.

Yes, it’s a somewhat peculiar problem, and troublesome, too, especially considering that it could also affect the proper operation of the BMW’s digital car key. But the good news is that Apple’s release of iOS 17.1.1 on Tuesday finally resolves it.

Read more