How to (mostly) remove annoying Memoji from the iMessage keyboard

Apple really wants you to love Memoji. There's just one problem: They're awful, and I want them off my iMessage keyboard.

The animated stickers were first added to iMessage in 2018, however, at the time they were only available to people rocking an iPhone X. That changed with the introduction of iOS 13, which added the ability to make Memoji stickers to most (if not all) iPhones. Unfortunately for people like me who have never used Memoji and want nothing to do with them, this update also stuck them in the "FREQUENTLY USED" section of the emoji keyboard.

In other words, you may find yourself accidentally clicking on these graphic abominations even if you have no desire to ever use them. They take up valuable real estate on our smartphones, and we should have the option at the very least remove them from the "FREQUENTLY USED" portion of the keyboard.

Thankfully, there's a way to mostlybanish Memoji to the digital hellscape they deserve. It's not at all intuitive, however.

I was reminded of this fact by a Thursday tweet from the wonderful New York Timestechnology reporter Mike Isaac. He too, like myself, was struggling with the unwanted presence of Memoji.

"how do i stop the 'memoji' from popping up every time I go to the emoji keyboard bc i hate my memoji," he wrote.

Tweet may have been deleted

I reached out to Apple directly in an attempt to determine if I could get rid of Memoji entirely, but received no immediate response. Thankfully, though, you can hide them by default.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Open iMessage

2. Click into a random conversation thread

3. Swipe on the app icons until you see the bubble with three dots and then tap it

4. Select "Edit"

5. Deselect "Memoji" from both the "FAVORITES" and the "MORE APPS" section

6. Tap "Done"

Going forward, when you select the emoji option on your iMessage keyboard you will no longer be presented with Memoji stickers by default.

Importantly, they arestill lurking about and ready to pounce. All you need do is swipe left or tap the "FREQUENTLY USED" clock icon a second time and they will reappear.

But hey, at least it's something.