Apple
How to Disable the Middle Finger Emoji on iPhone
The iOS 9.1 update adds a middle finger emoji to the iPhone and iPad. This guide will show you how to disable the middle finger emoji on iPhones and iPads that are running iOS 9.1.
The free iOS 9.1 update adds a middle finger emoji to the default iPhone emoji keyboard.
You can change the options so that can still use emoji, but you no longer see the middle finger emoji on your iPhone or iPad.
Unfortunately this will not remove the option for the iPhone to display the middle finger emoji. If someone sends it to you, it will still show up. The only way to prevent that is to stay on iOS 9.0.2 or lower for the foreseeable future.
Disable the middle finger emoji on the iPhone running iOS 9.1.
It is important to understand that Apple is not creating the middle finger emoji, it is merely supporting a standard that includes it. Just like the option to type profanity on your keyboard and have it show up on another keyboard, the middle finger emoji is built-in to unicode support for new emojis.
This is what you need to do to disable the middle finger emoji on your iPhone after upgrading to iOS 9.1.
How to Disable the Middle Finger Emoji
Apple does not let users remove an emoji from the keyboard or use an emoji as a shortcut that would allow an auto replace of the middle finger emoji to something else, so there are limited options.
First off we need to delete the stock iPhone emoji keyboard. Then we will add an alternate keyboard that includes emoji, but no middle finger emoji.
Go to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Keyboards.
Then tap on Edit in the upper right. Tap on the Minus sign next to the Emoji keyboard.
This will remove the Emoji keyboard from your iPhone and with it the option to send the middle finger emoji.
Now you can no longer send the middle finger emoji on the iPhone, but you can’t send any emoji either.
We need to add a new keyboard to the iPhone. If you are going to go this route we suggest using the Swype or Swiftkey iPhone keyboards. They offer a full iPhone keyboard replacement, and include emoji.
Download Swype or SwiftKey from the App Store on your iPhone. Once downloaded you need to turn the keyboard on.
Go to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Keyboards -> Add New Keyboard -> Tap on the Keyboard you want to add.
On the next screen tap on the keyboard name and then on Allow full Access.
These iPhone emoji keyboards do not have a middle finger emoji.
Now when you go to type something you can tap on the globe on your keyboard to switch to the other keyboard. On Swype the Emoji keyboard is a long press on the logo in the lower left. On Swiftkey it is the smile face next to the spacebar.
At this time these iPhone keyboards do not include the middle finger emoji. It is something they may add over time, in which case you will need to look for another option or simply ignore it.
See what’s new in iOS 9.1 in the slides below.
New iOS 9.1 Emoji | ||||||||||||||
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There are a lot of new iOS 9.1 emoji options to use when you install the upgrade. The most talked about new emoji is the middle finger emoji, but there is also a unicorn, a taco, a burrito, a lion, spider, new sports, gambling options and a lot of new faces. Once you upgrade you will get access to the new iOS 9.1 emoji on your iPhone and iPad. Many of these support the multiple skin tone options that Apple added to iOS 8 over the summer. If you send the new iOS 9.1 emoji to someone who does not have iOS 9.1 installed they will see odd blocks for many of the items you send. You can use all the new iOS 9.1 emoji on the iPhone emoji keyboard that is on by default. You don't need to buy any apps to get the new emoji. | ||||||||||||||
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