How to Add Custom Emojis From Your Phone
Check your app and upload permission before saving a file. Slack documents iOS uploads, while other mobile controls need more care.
Miles Crawford
The Short Version
Slack supports custom emoji uploads in its iOS app, but not its Android app. Discord documents a server-settings upload path; mobile controls can differ. Microsoft documents its Teams upload flow with desktop-style controls; if Add emoji is missing on your phone, save the file and use the desktop or web app. The platform steps below were checked against their help pages on October 28, 2026.
Discord: Check Server Settings
- Download the emoji to your phone. If your app exposes server emoji controls, continue below; otherwise use desktop.
- Open your server, tap the server name, then Settings.
- Tap Emoji, then Upload Emoji.
- Pick the file, give it a name, save.
Discord documents the server owner or Create Expressions permission for adding emoji, with a rollout caveat for changing permission labels. The cited guide establishes the server-settings upload path, but we have not tested the mobile taps in your app. If these controls differ, save the image and use desktop server settings. Emoji Studio in the picker is desktop/browser-only, so use server settings on mobile. See the Discord custom emoji help. The full limits are in the size limits guide.
Slack: Upload on iPhone, Save for Later on Android
On iOS, open the emoji picker from a message field. Enter a name for the custom emoji, tap Add custom emoji, choose an image, follow the upload prompts, and tap Add in the top-right corner. If the name is taken, choose another. Slack says uploads are not currently possible from its Android app. On Android, save the image to a place you can reach on a computer and use the desktop Slack upload steps later. On either device, an owner may restrict who can add emoji. See Slack's current iOS, Android, and desktop instructions.
Microsoft Teams: Compare Desktop or Web
Microsoft describes adding an emoji in Teams through the emoji picker, Your org's emoji, then Add emoji. Its current help page does not clearly establish a mobile upload route, so do not assume the control is present in your phone app. If it is missing, save the file and upload later with the Teams steps. If the upload option is missing on desktop too, your admin may have restricted upload permission or turned custom emojis off; the Teams troubleshooting guide covers that.
Save Now, Upload Later
For Android Slack or a Teams app without the upload control, try this: when you find an emoji you like, download it straight to a folder called something like "emojis to add". One folder, one upload session later, and your phone finds stop getting lost in the camera roll.