Use emoji on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

With a tap of your finger, you can bring words to life with emoji.

An iPhone screen showing a Messages conversation with a thinking face emoji in the text field.

Add an emoji

An iPhone screen showing a Messages conversation with the emoji keyboard opened.

Tap to replace words with emoji

The Messages app shows you words that you can replace with emoji.

  1. Open Messages and tap the Compose button to start a new message or go to an existing conversation.
  2. Write your message, then tap the Emoji button or the globeNext Keyboard button on your keyboard.
  3. Wait for the words to turn orange.
  4. Tap an orange word to replace it with an emoji. If there's more than one emoji you can use, the Quick Reply field shows you options to choose from.
  5. Tap the Send buttonsend button to send.

If you want to replace the emoji with the original word, just tap the emoji.

An iPhone screen showing a Messages conversation with predictive emoji magnified at the top of the keyboard.

Use Predictive emoji

With Predictive text, you can write and complete entire sentences with just a tap. As you type, you see choices for words and phrases you might type next, based on your past conversations and writing style. You also see suggestions for emoji you may want to use. To use a Predictive emoji, write your message and look for the suggested emoji in the predictive input field, then tap it to replace the word or add an emoji.

To turn off Predictive text, touch and hold the Emoji button or the globeNext Keyboard button, tap Keyboard Settings, then turn off Predictive.

Don't see the emoji keyboard?

If you don't see the emoji keyboard, make sure that it's turned on.

  1. Go to Settings > General and tap Keyboard.
  2. Tap Keyboards, then tap Add New Keyboard.
  3. Tap Emoji.

Learn more

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