Emojis not showing up in texts on Android (FIX)

You don’t need to use MMS to share standard emojis in text messages in this day and age. However, some users report that emojis are not showing up in texts on Android for no apparent reason. Learn how to fix this problem below.

Table of contents:

1. Clear Messages cache
2. Check Messages settings
3. Disable and re-enable RCS
4. Uninstall Messages updates and leave Beta
5. Uninstall Gboard updates
6. Try using an alternative messaging app

How do I get my emojis back on my text messages?

Before answering your question, we must say that only standard emojis can be sent through SMS protocol. Bitmoji and similar options (including animated GIFs) require MMS or RCS.

With that in mind, if you or your recipients can’t see emojis in text messages, make sure to clear the cache from Messages or uninstall updates. If that does nothing, we suggest temporarily disabling RCS or using an alternative SMS app until the bug is sorted out.

You can report the problem to Google in Google Messages > Account > Help & feedback.

1. Clear Messages cache

The first thing you should do is clear the cache from the Messages app. There’s a slight chance that the local cache is corrupted so you should try clearing it before doing anything else. Hopefully, that addresses the problem at hand.

Here’s how to clear the Messages cache on your Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Apps.
3. Open Messages.
4. Select Storage.
5. Tap Clear cache.

Restart your device and check for improvements.

2. Check Messages settings

The second thing you should check is under Messages settings. There’s an option that allows users to disable emojis and stick to simple characters. You need to disable this option in order for your recipients to receive standard emojis — just like in instant messenger.

This has nothing to do with MMS, as emojis are sent as classic ages-old emoticons in SMS messages and then transcribed on the device.

Here’s how to disable the Use simple characters feature in Google Messages:

1. Open Messages.
2. Select your account from the top and open Messages settings.
3. Choose Advanced.
4. Disable Use simple characters.

3. Disable and re-enable RCS

The next thing you can try is to disable and re-enable RCS again. Some users report that the problem with emojis not showing up in text messages started once they enabled RCS.

We suggest disabling and re-enabling RCS to try and fix the problem. Have in mind that, based on your carrier, you might have to wait for some time before you can re-activate Chat features again.

Here’s how to disable and re-enable RCS on your Android:

1. Open Messages and then tap on your account at the top right corner.
2. Choose Messages settings.
3. Tap Chat features.
4. Toggle off the Enable chat features option.
5. You can re-enable it later and test it out.

In addition, you should recommend the same action to your recipients. The problem might be on their side.

If you don’t want to use RCS, you can always disable it and stick with SMS/MMS in Google Messages. There are definitely advantages to Chat features, but if none of the people you talk with use this new messaging technology — it won’t be of much use. There are still options like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram that most people use.

4. Uninstall Messages updates and leave Beta

Another step you can take is resetting Messages by uninstalling updates from the app. On some Android skins, Google Messages (Android Messages) are not the default messaging app so you can uninstall the app completely and install it. Furthermore, if you are in the Beta program for Google Messages, we suggest leaving it.

Here’s how to uninstall updates from Google Messages and leave the Beta program:

1. Open Play Store.
2. Look for Messages and expand Google Messages from the list of results.
3. Swipe down and tap Leave under the Beta program.
4. Wait for some time and then tap Uninstall.
5. Update Messages again and check for improvements.

5. Uninstall Gboard updates

Although it doesn’t seem related at the first sight, the problem might lie in Gboard and the way it transcribes the emojis you sent. Some users recommend uninstalling Gboard updates to fix the problem. This applies to other keyboards you might be using (e.g. Swiftkey or Samsung Keyboard).

Here’s how to uninstall Gboard updates:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Apps.
3. Choose Gboard.
4. Tap on the 3-dots menu.
5. Select Uninstall updates.
6. Navigate to the Play Store and update the app again.

6. Try using an alternative messaging app

The problem might be in the most recent version of Google Messages and the last thing that comes to mind is switching to an alternative app. Sadly, Signal is not available anymore in this capacity (still an instant messenger, not an SMS client), but you can try Textra SMS or SMS Organizer by Microsoft.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions in the comments below. We look forward to hearing from you.