diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index 1a01c1d51..bebe99fca 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ dependencies {
     compile 'com.makeramen:roundedimageview:2.2.0'
     compile "com.wefika:flowlayout:0.4.1"
     compile 'net.ypresto.androidtranscoder:android-transcoder:0.2.0'
+    compile ('com.vdurmont:emoji-java:3.3.0') {
+        exclude group: 'org.json', module: 'json'
+    }
 }
 
 ext {
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/entities/Message.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/entities/Message.java
index 77b54d328..aba5c6004 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/entities/Message.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/entities/Message.java
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import android.content.ContentValues;
 import android.database.Cursor;
 import android.text.SpannableStringBuilder;
 
+import com.vdurmont.emoji.EmojiManager;
+
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.net.URL;
 
@@ -500,8 +502,8 @@ public class Message extends AbstractEntity {
 						!this.treatAsDownloadable() &&
 						!message.getBody().startsWith(ME_COMMAND) &&
 						!this.getBody().startsWith(ME_COMMAND) &&
-						!this.bodyIsHeart() &&
-						!message.bodyIsHeart() &&
+						!this.bodyIsOnlyEmojis() &&
+						!message.bodyIsOnlyEmojis() &&
 						((this.axolotlFingerprint == null && message.axolotlFingerprint == null) || this.axolotlFingerprint.equals(message.getFingerprint())) &&
 						UIHelper.sameDay(message.getTimeSent(),this.getTimeSent())
 				);
@@ -666,8 +668,8 @@ public class Message extends AbstractEntity {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public boolean bodyIsHeart() {
-		return body != null && UIHelper.HEARTS.contains(body.trim());
+	public boolean bodyIsOnlyEmojis() {
+		return EmojiManager.isOnlyEmojis(body.trim());
 	}
 
 	public FileParams getFileParams() {
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/adapter/MessageAdapter.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/adapter/MessageAdapter.java
index adaa31174..a954b11cc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/adapter/MessageAdapter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/adapter/MessageAdapter.java
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ import android.widget.LinearLayout;
 import android.widget.TextView;
 import android.widget.Toast;
 
+import com.vdurmont.emoji.EmojiManager;
+
 import java.lang.ref.WeakReference;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -321,7 +323,7 @@ public class MessageAdapter extends ArrayAdapter<Message> implements CopyTextVie
 		viewHolder.messageBody.setTextIsSelectable(false);
 	}
 
-	private void displayHeartMessage(final ViewHolder viewHolder, final String body) {
+	private void displayEmojiMessage(final ViewHolder viewHolder, final String body) {
 		if (viewHolder.download_button != null) {
 			viewHolder.download_button.setVisibility(View.GONE);
 		}
@@ -329,8 +331,8 @@ public class MessageAdapter extends ArrayAdapter<Message> implements CopyTextVie
 		viewHolder.messageBody.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
 		viewHolder.messageBody.setIncludeFontPadding(false);
 		Spannable span = new SpannableString(body);
-		span.setSpan(new RelativeSizeSpan(4.0f), 0, body.length(), Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
-		span.setSpan(new ForegroundColorSpan(activity.getWarningTextColor()), 0, body.length(), Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
+		float size = EmojiManager.isEmoji(body) ? 3.0f : 2.0f;
+		span.setSpan(new RelativeSizeSpan(size), 0, body.length(), Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
 		viewHolder.messageBody.setText(span);
 	}
 
@@ -790,8 +792,8 @@ public class MessageAdapter extends ArrayAdapter<Message> implements CopyTextVie
 		} else {
 			if (GeoHelper.isGeoUri(message.getBody())) {
 				displayLocationMessage(viewHolder,message);
-			} else if (message.bodyIsHeart()) {
-				displayHeartMessage(viewHolder, message.getBody().trim());
+			} else if (message.bodyIsOnlyEmojis()) {
+				displayEmojiMessage(viewHolder, message.getBody().trim());
 			} else if (message.treatAsDownloadable()) {
 				try {
 					URL url = new URL(message.getBody());
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/UIHelper.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/UIHelper.java
index af0f5b6c6..69eeb58da 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/UIHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/UIHelper.java
@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@ import eu.siacs.conversations.xmpp.jid.Jid;
 
 public class UIHelper {
 
-	private static String BLACK_HEART_SUIT = "\u2665";
-	private static String HEAVY_BLACK_HEART_SUIT = "\u2764";
-	private static String WHITE_HEART_SUIT = "\u2661";
-
-	public static final List<String> HEARTS = Arrays.asList(BLACK_HEART_SUIT,HEAVY_BLACK_HEART_SUIT,WHITE_HEART_SUIT);
-
 	private static final List<String> LOCATION_QUESTIONS = Arrays.asList(
 			"where are you", //en
 			"where are you now", //en
diff --git a/src/main/res/values/strings.xml b/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
index ff650c6ff..8644c20b8 100644
--- a/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -336,6 +336,7 @@
 			\n\nhttps://github.com/WhisperSystems/libaxolotl-java\n(GPLv3)
 			\n\nhttps://github.com/vinc3m1/RoundedImageView\n(Apache License, Version 2.0)
 			\n\nhttps://github.com/jdamcd/android-crop\n(Apache License, Version 2.0)
+		    \n\nhttps://github.com/vdurmont/emoji-java\n(The MIT License)
 	</string>
 	<string name="title_pref_quiet_hours">Quiet Hours</string>
 	<string name="title_pref_quiet_hours_start_time">Start time</string>