Curious about how to generate it easier to insert Emoji icons right into a textual content message, email or iMessage? Switching involving the regular keyboard along with the Emoji keyboard, navigating on the emotion you’re in search of, then switching back again towards the standard keyboard to resume typing can be tiresome. Luckily, you can use Emoji much more efficiently because of keyboard shortcuts in iOS 5.

Before getting started, you’ll have to enable the Emoji keyboard from within the Settings app.
Tap the Settings app on your Home screen
Tap General settings
Scroll down and tap Keyboard
Next, tap International Keyboards
Tap Add New Keyboard
Now, just scroll down a bit until you see the option for Emoji and tap it

At this point, your keyboard setup will allow you to switch over to the Emoji keyboard by tapping the small globe next to the 123 button.

All you have to do next is setup your own custom keyboard shortcuts for emoticons now that you have the Emoji keyboard enabled.
Tap the Settings app on your Home screen
Tap General settings
Scroll down and tap Keyboard
At the very bottom of the Keyboard settings pane, tap Shortcuts
Tap the ‘+‘ button in the upper right-hand corner
In the Phrase field, call up the Emoji keyboard (see above for instructions) and select your desired emoticon
Input the specific shortcut you’d like to use for the corresponding emoticon

That’s it! This tip saves boatloads of time when trying to input Emoji and it’s a total no-brainer with the new keyboard shortcut feature in iOS 5.

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