How to Use Emoticons on Facebook Messenger on Android

Last Updated: May 25, 2021 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to use emoticons (text-only pictures that look like faces or symbols when flipped on their sides) in Facebook Messenger for Android.

Steps

1
Open Messenger. It’s the blue chat bubble icon with a white lightning bolt in the app drawer.
- If you haven’t yet signed in, enter your email address/phone number and password, then tap Log In.
2
Select a conversation. If you don’t see the name of the person you’re looking for, start typing their name into the Search box at the top of the screen, then select them from the results.
3
Tap Write a Message. It’s in the text box at the bottom of the screen.
4
Type emoticons. Unlike emoji, which are colorful images, emoticons are faces and expresses made from plain text. Here are a few examples of emoticons:
- <3 is a heart.
- :-D is a very large smile.
- :~( is a sad face with a tear.
- If your Android has an emoji keyboard, it may have a category for emoticons. Tap the emoji key (usually a smiling face) on the keyboard, then look for :-) or something similar. You should find lots of different emoticons in that menu.
5
Tap the "Send" icon. It’s the blue paper airplane icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen. Your emoticon will now appear in the chat.
- Depending on the emoticon you choose, Facebook Messenger may automatically turn it into a colorful emoji. For example, the :) emoticon will turn into a smiling emoji, and <3 will turn into a heart emoji.