If you want to use the emoji keyboard on Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4 or Galaxy Note 3, you don’t need to install a new keyboard and give up the beautiful Samsung keyboard out of the box, you just need to know where it is. Tap to switch to emoji keyboard.
Emoji are a more advanced form of smiley or emoticon that you probably already use in text messages and emails. These small colorful faces and icons allow users to be more expressive than a simple blink with dozens of small icons covering faces, buildings, events, symbols and more.
Thanks to Google’s recent updates, you can even send emoji from an Android phone to an iPhone and the characters will appear as you type. The emoji might look a little different, but a shoe would still be a shoe and a wink would still be a wink.
Here’s how to use the Emoji Galaxy S5 keyboard that lets you use Emoji on Note 3 or Galaxy S4 as well.
Android 4.4.2 includes a built-in Emoji keyboard and Samsung includes it in the latest Android updates for easy sending from Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 3.
How to Use Emoji on Galaxy S5, S4 and Note 3
There is no need to open or install the emoji keyboard on any of these Samsung devices, but you need to know how to find the emoji keyboard. In typical Google style, the emoji keyboard is not in every app and not in the same place in every app.
We’ll show you how to use it in the most common apps and where to look if you don’t see the emoji keyboard option on the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4 or Galaxy Note 3.
In the short video above you will see how to access the emoji keyboard on the Samsung Galaxy S5. This process works the same on other Galaxy devices running Android 4.4.2 or Android 4.4 KitKat.
You’ll also be able to see emojis others have sent you, as emoji support is built-in. There is no need to install a custom emoji keyboard from Google Play for this to work. This is built into the main Samsung Keyboard so users can enjoy other Samsung keyboard features such as predictive typing, personalized predictions and the ability to track words.
Here is a step-by-step guide to switch to emoji keyboard on Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5.
Tap any text field not limited to an email address or phone number. When the main keyboard comes up, you should look for a small microphone icon to the left of the spacebar.
Tap the microphone icon, then tap the Smiley face.
Tap and hold this to open an options layer for the Samsung keyboard. This should look the same on the Note 3 and the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4. The second to last symbol is the smiley face. Tap this to open the Galaxy S5 emoji keyboard.
From there, tap any icon to attach it to a message. Tap the small icons at the bottom to see the different emoji groups.
This will now show you lots of emoji characters to choose from. Swipe up and down to see more options, and tap the little buttons at the bottom to see additional sets of characters, shapes, and symbols.
Galaxy S4 Emoji Keyboard Issues
Some users are reporting that they are unable to access the Galaxy S4 emoji keyboard using the instructions above. After testing, I found it only shows up in certain text fields, but it should at least work on Facebook and Messaging. The photo below shows it as an option on the Galaxy S4 in the Facebook app.
The Galaxy S4 Emoji keyboard should be easy to access, but it doesn’t work for everyone.
You have to hold down the microphone icon for this to work. If it still doesn’t show up, please leave a comment on your carrier and Android version; I’ll try to find out more about what’s going on. To see what software you’re running, go to This should work on Android 4.4.2.
When you’re done and ready to go back to a regular keyboard, tap ABC in the bottom left. If you switch between the app where you use the emoji and another app, it will default to the normal keyboard. Also, it should go back to the regular keyboard after you leave and switch back to the same messaging app.
Use more advanced emoji on Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4 or Galaxy Note 3.
You can always enter emojis one by one to punch up a text-filled message, but after a while you may find yourself using more advanced emojis by adding line breaks to create small characters. If you’re talking to someone who likes to use emojis, it’s possible to have a long conversation with just emoji.
They can also be a good way to let the recipient know you’re joking, because sometimes text messages lose their meaning and can seem very serious.
It’s a good idea to limit emoji use when talking to coworkers or a boss, unless they initiate emoji use. Text-to-speech is bad enough at work, but an emoji-laden email or text to a supervisor is even worse.
