If you were slightly disappointed when Apple introduced iPhone 2.2, giving exclusive Emoji-love to all those Japanese iPhone users, you may be in luck. A 99c/59p application has been discovered which when installed actually unlocks the Emoji keyboard on iPhone OS …
[Update] – I’ve just got word from Chris Pirillo, that the actual source of this great work around was in fact @iJustine!!
[Update] – Check out RazorianFly.com/Emoji for the latest FAQ’s on iPhone Emoji outside Japan.
[Update] – For people struggling with activating Emoji first time, apparently you have to find and touch an article in the RSS reader with a face at the end of it. While we’re at at, here is some Emoji:
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Can’t see Emoji in Firefox? – http://is.gd/c3qb. No solution for Safari users just yet.
See it in Action on a UK iPhone 3G:
[Update] – It’s come to light that for your recipient to see your Emoji, they also must have enabled Emoji on their iPhone or iPod touch. (Credit – @IdaMom). Yes, people without Emoji enabled can see your Emoji.
Original Article:
Twitter user @Zyber17 @iJustine has discovered a hole in 2.2. Not just that, but an weirdly-named application (disguised as an RSS reader) on sale on the store for a measly 59p, actually harnesses the ability to unlock the Emoji keyboard within iPhone OS 2.2. Here’s what you do:
Buy and install THIS application, play with it for a few minutes, then quit it and navigate to: iPhone Settings > General > Keyboard > Japanese. You will now see an ‘On/Off’ option for Japanese Emoji!
What is Emoji?
“Emoji (絵文字, Emoji?) is the Japanese name for the picture characters or emoticons used in Japanese wireless messages and web pages. Originally meaning pictograph, the word literally means e “picture” + moji “letter”. The characters are used much like emoticons elsewhere, but a wider range is provided, and the icons are standardized and built into the handsets.”
So far, no side-affects have been reported by installing the application and performing the hack, but as this will be seen as an exploit of iPhone OS 2.2 in Apple’s eyes, you could see the application pulled from the store, or worse – Apple may use the dreaded kill switch …
Basically, we advise you to pick up this app as quickly as physically possible,
if you want Emoji on your non-Japanese iPhone or iPod touch.
…and yes, the app is disguised as an RSS reader.
Reviewed at: v1.1.1
Reviewed on Firmware: 2.2
Download size: 0.1MB
Released on: 3rd Dec 2008
Retails for: 59p/$0.99
Compatible with: iPod touch Gen 1 & 2 / iPhone Classic / iPhone 3G
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Sat, Jan 24, 2009 by Arron
App Store, Apple, Apple Related, Software, iPhone, iPod