How to Type the ♡ Heart Symbol on iPhone or iPad, Plus Emojis & More

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Add affection to your messages with emojis or the <3 symbol

Co-authored by Megaera Lorenz, PhD Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: November 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Hearts to Copy and Paste
|
• Typing a Clear Heart (♡)
|
• Using Emoji
|
• Using Symbols
|
• Adding a Heart to Your Status Bar
|
• Tips

|Show more |Show less

Want to type a heart symbol on your iPhone or iPad’s keyboard? Whether you want to write a clear heart ♡, use one of the wide variety of emoji hearts, or type an old school heart emoticon, we’ve got you covered! This wikiHow teaches you how to create a heart on your iPhone or iPad using emoji or text symbols. We’ll also teach you a clever hack to add a heart symbol to your device’s status bar.

Best Ways to Type a Heart Symbol in iOS

• To make a kaomoji-style clear heart symbol (♡), you’ll need to enable the Japanese Kana keyboard in Settings.
• You can choose from a wide variety of heart emojis in your iPhone or iPad’s emoji keyboard.
• Make an old-school heart emoticon using the symbols < and 3 in your regular keyboard.
• Want to add a heart symbol to your iPhone’s status bar? It’s easy with this custom Focus mode hack!

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Hearts to Copy and Paste

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1. 
   1
   Kaomoji/text hearts If you’re on your iPhone, you can copy these symbols by long-pressing them, then selecting Copy from the menu that opens. To paste, press and hold the spot where you want to type the heart, then select Paste.

   • ♡
   • ꨄ︎
   • ❤︎
   • ‹𝟹
   • -`♡´-
   • 𑣲
2. 
   2
   Emoji hearts You can copy and paste these heart emojis just like the text hearts above.

   • ❤️
   • 💖
   • 💞
   • 💗
   • 💕
   • 💝
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Section 2 of 5:

Typing a Clear Heart (♡)

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1. 
   1
   Open the

   

   Settings app. If you want to type a clear kaomoji-style heart symbol (♡) on your iPhone, you can enable that option in Settings by adding a Japanese keyboard. Launch the Settings app from your Home Screen.
2. 
   2
   Tap General. It’s near the top of the Settings menu, below the first big group of settings.
3. 
   3
   Select Keyboard. You’ll need to scroll down to find it.
4. 
   4
   Tap Keyboards. It’s at the top of the menu.
5. 
   5
   Tap Add New Keyboard. A new menu will open.
6. 
   6
   Select Japanese. You can also search for this option using the Search bar at the bottom of the menu.
7. 
   7
   Tap Kana. It’s the first option on the menu. Tap the blue checkmark at the top right corner of the screen to save your choice.
8. 
   8
   Open the app where you want to use the heart symbol. For example, go into Messages and open the conversation where you want to type a heart.
9. 
   9
   Tap the 🌐︎ globe symbol below the keyboard. It’s on the bottom left side of the screen. A new keyboard will open, displaying Japanese symbols.
10. 
    10
    Select the ABC key, then select 123. Now you’re in the numbers section of the Japanese keyboard.
11. 
    11
    Tap and hold 1. Several alternate symbols will appear around the 1 key.
12. 
    12
    Swipe left to select the ☆ star symbol. A menu of additional symbols will appear in the bar at the top of the keyboard.
13. 
    13
    Select the clear heart ♡. You’ll see it in the bar above the keyboard. The heart will immediately replace the star in the text field.
14. 
    14
    Tap the 🌐︎ globe again to return to the English keyboard. You can now continue typing as you normally would. Any time you want to type the clear heart again, you can simply switch back to the Japanese keyboard and enter it from the number section again.
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Section 3 of 5:

Using Emoji

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1. 
   1
   Open your messaging app. You can add an emoji heart in almost any text that allows typing, such as Messages and social media apps.
2. 
   2
   Tap the typing area. This opens your keyboard.
3. 
   3
   Tap the emoji symbol. This is the icon that looks like a smiley face at the bottom-left corner of the keyboard. This opens the emoji keyboard.

   • If you have any additional keyboards enabled, you’ll see a globe icon (🌐︎) in the lower left corner of the keyboard. The emoji key will be located just to the left of the spacebar key instead.
   • If you don't see the emoji keyboard, see Enable the Emoji Emoticon Keyboard in iOS.
4. 
   4
   Tap the symbols icon. It's in the row of icons at the bottom of the screen, almost all the way to the right. Depending on your version of iOS, it might look like a heart or a group of 4 symbols. It's between the light bulb and the flag.
5. 
   5
   Tap a heart. There are several heart options in the emoji keyboard. Choose the one you like best and tap on it. It will appear in the text field.

   • Wondering which heart emoji to choose? Check out our complete guide to the heart emojis and their meanings!
6. 
   6
   Send or post your heart. The heart will now appear in the message or post.

   • You can also type the word “heart,” then tap one of the heart icons that appear in the bar above the keyboard. The word “heart” will be replaced by the heart emoji you selected.
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Section 4 of 5:

Using Symbols

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1. 
   1
   Open your messaging app. You can make a heart emoticon from symbols in any text that allows typing, such as Messages and social media apps.
2. 
   2
   Tap the typing area. This opens your keyboard.
3. 
   3
   Tap the number key. It's the key that says “123” at the bottom-left corner of the keyboard.
4. 
   4
   Tap the symbol key. It's the key that says “#+=” just above the ABC key on the left side of the keyboard.
5. 
   5
   Tap the < key. It's the less-than symbol. You’ll find it at the center of the keyboard.
6. 
   6
   Tap the number key.
7. 
   7
   Tap 3. You should now see <3 in the typing area, which looks like a heart on its side.
8. 
   8
   Send or post your heart. The heart will now appear in the message or post. Some apps may automatically replace your symbol heart with one that's colored or filled in.
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Section 5 of 5:

Adding a Heart to Your Status Bar

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1. 
   1
   Open the

   

   Settings app. This cute hack lets you add a heart symbol to your iPhone’s status bar, next to the time at the top left corner of the screen. To do it, you’ll need to create a custom Focus mode. Start by opening your Settings app.

   • Some users report that this trick may not work if you have Location Services enabled. To turn them off, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and toggle Location Services off.
2. 
   2
   Select Focus. You’ll need to scroll down in the Settings menu to find it.
3. 
   3
   Tap +. It’s in the top right corner of the screen.
4. 
   4
   Select Custom. This option will allow you to design a completely customized focus mode, so you can receive (or silence) whatever notifications you want.
5. 
   5
   Give your focus a name. Tap the Name field and type in a name, like “heart.”
6. 
   6
   Select the heart symbol. You’ll see a series of symbols to choose from on the Name Your Focus screen. Scroll down until you find the heart, then tap on it.

   • You can also choose a different color for your focus icon from the menu at the top of the screen. However, this won’t change the color of the heart symbol in your status bar (which will always appear either black or white depending on what’s on your screen).
7. 
   7
   Tap Next. This will save your chosen name and symbol.
8. 
   8
   Tap Customize Focus. On the next screen, you’ll see some information about your customization options. Tap the Customize Focus button.
9. 
   9
   Choose your customization options. For example, tap People and select who you want to allow notifications from. If you want to allow notifications from everyone, select Silence Notifications From and then deselect any selected contacts.

   • You can also choose which apps to allow or silence notifications from, set a specific schedule for your custom focus mode, or add filters to prevent specific apps from distracting you.
   • If you want, you can set up this focus so that all notifications are allowed. That way, the only difference you’ll see when it’s activated is the cute heart in your status bar!
10. 
    10
    Turn on your custom focus mode from the Control Center. To open your Control Center, swipe down from the top right side of the screen. If you have an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen instead. Tap Focus, then tap your custom focus in the menu. This will activate your new focus mode!

    • Don’t tap the moon icon on the Focus button in the Control Center. Doing so will enable Do Not Disturb. Instead, tap the word “Focus” to expand the menu of Focus modes.
    • When your custom focus mode is activated, you should see a white or black heart next to the time at the top left corner of the screen.
    • You’ll also see the heart icon and the name of your custom focus mode at the bottom of the lock screen when your iPhone is locked.
    • To turn off your focus mode, open the Control Center and tap the heart icon next to the word Focus.
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Tips

• Emoji hearts are the best option if you want to choose between a wide variety of styles and colors.
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• Download the Japanese keyboard to your phone and tap this symbol: ^_^. Then, choose this emoji╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ and delete the face, leaving just the ♡.

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