How to Use Emojis on iPhone and iPad
Learn how to activate the native iOS emoji keyboard, search for emojis, use predictive text replacement, and type emojis on Apple mobile devices.
To open emojis on iPhone or iPad, tap any text input box and press:
On an iPad hardware keyboard, press Control + Command + Space.
Step-by-Step: Using Emojis on iOS
Open Any App with Text Entry
Tap into a text field in iMessage, WhatsApp, Instagram, Notes, Safari, or TikTok to bring up the iOS software keyboard.
Tap the Emoji or Globe Button
Tap the 😊 Smiley icon or 🌐 Globe icon in the bottom-left corner next to the spacebar to switch to the emoji layout.
Search or Swipe Categories
Use the Search Emoji input at the top of the emoji keyboard, or swipe horizontally to navigate categories (Frequently Used, Smileys & People, Animals, Food, etc.).
Tap to Insert & Return to Text
Tap any emoji to insert it into your message. Tap the ABC button in the bottom-left corner to return to normal typing.
What to Do if the Emoji Keyboard is Missing
If you don't see the smiley face or globe key on your keyboard, you may need to re-enable it in your iPhone settings:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Navigate to General > Keyboard.
- Tap on Keyboards at the very top.
- If "Emoji" is not listed, tap Add New Keyboard...
- Scroll through the alphabetical list, select Emoji, and it will be active immediately.
Unique iOS Emoji Features
Predictive Word Tap
In Apple Messages, switch to the emoji keyboard after typing a sentence to see transformable words glow orange for 1-tap emoji replacement.
Memoji & Stickers
Swipe to the far left of the emoji keyboard to access personalized Memoji stickers and custom iOS sticker packs.
iPad Magic Keyboard
When typing on physical iPad keyboards, press Ctrl + Cmd + Space or tap the Globe key.
Touch and hold any hand gesture or human emoji to open the skin tone variation palette. iOS will remember your selected skin tone as the default choice next time.
Assemble multiple emojis in 1 tap
Use our web-based emoji sequence collector to build Instagram captions and copy with a single tap.