I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy A37 running Android 16 with One UI 8.5. I like Samsung phones, but I really dislike the default Samsung emoji design. On a previous Samsung device, I used zFont to install a different font and change the emojis without much trouble. This time, however, trying to add a font only gives me options to delete the font or cancel the installation. Attempts to work around it also triggered a Knox warning, and the phone continues to use the default Samsung emojis. I understand that rooting may provide access to the system files, but I'm worried about bricking a brand-new phone. Is there any reliable way to use a different emoji set on this device without rooting it?
1 Answer
On newer Android and Samsung software, emoji fonts are protected as part of the system partition. Apps such as zFont generally can’t replace them without elevated access, so the installation options you’re seeing are expected. Without rooting or modifying the system, there may not be a dependable way to change the device-wide emoji style.
That makes sense. I was hoping there was a safer workaround, but I’m hesitant to root a phone that I just bought.