How to enable Emoji systemwide

As an addendum to my last post, I decided to figure out how to enable Emoji systemwide. My findings were first posted on Twitter, but I'm putting them here for persistence. You need to edit the file /User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Preferences.plist on the device -> whether you use a jailbreak to achieve this or merely some iTunes backup editor is up to you. Add the following boolean key as 'true': KeyboardEmojiEverywhere 
Then merely go to the Keyboards section of the Settings app, hit Japanese, and turn on Emoji. Will work for any text field/view in the OS, including on websites, AND including the titles of items on SpringBoard (e.g. if you save a bookmark to the home screen).
Have fun!

15 comments:

  1. What is a good iTunes backup editor?
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  2. How do you do this,
    like opening it with wordpad?
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  3. I would also like to know a good itunes backup editor. I can't seem to find any info on this.. Is it even possible to make this work without jailbreaking?
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  4. Here are the directions but i cant get it posted, its in iphonehellas just google " how to enable emoji systemwide "
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  5. Even easier, just add i.ifon1.no to installer.
    and download it from there
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  6. for the other people out there who are having a hard time trying to find the plist file... instead of /User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Preferences.plist ... try this directory... /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Preferences.plist... cheers...
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  7. I would like to know if this is possible without jailbreaking.

    Thanks,
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  8. How do a get access to my iPhones files? It doesn't show up as a device.
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  9. Do you think you could create a small app distributed either ad-hoc or through App store to enable emoji keyboard on non-jailbroken iphones? I would be paying for it!

    G
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  10. From what I understand, it would be impossible for an app destined for the app store (i.e. not one for a jailbroken phone) would be able to enable Emoji. The reason is that they are all sandboxed into their own little worlds, and they do not have access to the "outside."

    A theoretical solution I have is to dig through the mdbackup files that are created when the phone backs itself up, and to enable that preference there. Though, that is proving more difficult than initially anticipated.

    Another theoretical solution is to take one of the backup files from a jailbroken phone (that has Emoji activated) and to copy just the one file with that preference in it.

    The only hard part is finding someone willing enough to share their backup file with us. :)
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  11. You can enable Emoji without jailbreak, just write a little application and run it over your iPhone/iPod touch.

    http://hollowout.blogspot.com/2008/11/enable-iphoneos-22-emoji-support.html
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  12. It is possible that this does not work on an iPhone 2G?
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  13. for 2G Mousseman

    http://rapidshare.com/files/169180679/com.apple.Preferences.plist.zip

    remember backup original file...

    Bye...
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  14. i am not able to get this emoji thing working.....i made a backup of the original file using ssh and copied the modified one to the location...restarted my iphone but its not working, i m using iphone 2.2 and in Canada
    Any suggestions????
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  15. ok...seems like there's a few steps missing from your instructions. first, i extract the back up, then i edit the file...what now? i am sure, without even trying, that the edited file doesn't appear on my iphone. do i have to recompile the backup and then restore/sync that backup? more details please. thanks.
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