# UniChar — Unicode Keyboard — Find & use special symbols

> Unicode character keyboard and utility for finding and typing special symbols. (iPhone/iPad app by Jordan Hipwell.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unichar-unicode-keyboard/id880811847 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jordan Hipwell](https://appshunter.io/developer/880811850)
- Category: Reference, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 1,610 App Store ratings · 213 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 14 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2014-06-04
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unichar-unicode-keyboard/id880811847/reviews.md

## What is UniChar?

UniChar is a powerful yet beautiful Unicode character app and keyboard that allows you to quickly find, type, and work with special symbols.

◣
“UniChar is a cool little app and keyboard, and offers access to a huge world of Unicode characters that are otherwise absent within the standard iOS keyboard.” 
– iDownloadBlog

"On the Mac, you can type any character [with] the Emoji & Symbols viewer ... The selection on iOS is much more limited ... But UniChar changes that."
– Cult of Mac

"This iOS keyboard app will give you all the Unicode characters you’ll ever need." 
– lifehacker

“It’s a full-featured utility for searching and copying symbols … it’s always nice to see a developer who’s dedicated to improving this kind of utility over time and adopting new features … it's a very handy app.”
– AppStories
◤

Utilize hundreds of thousands of characters organized neatly into categories and a full Unicode table. You can quickly search for the character you’re looking for, type special symbols in any app with the custom keyboard, and collect your favorite characters to access them even quicker.

For developers, UniChar is an efficient tool to work with Unicode code points and UTF-8 encodings. Revamp your workflow by using UniChar alongside other apps on iPad, or use Universal Clipboard to copy on your iPhone and paste on your Mac.

App
◉ Work with characters and their info – Name, Unicode, and UTF-8
◉ Browse curated categories in grid or list view
◉ Customize your categories – choose from more than 150 symbol and script categories*
◉ Access the entire Unicode table by character blocks*
◉ Jump to a specific block, category, or code point
◉ Search for symbols by name, info, or even by drawing**
◉ Identify characters and see a breakdown of code points that form them
◉ Select custom fonts to use when rendering glyphs
◉ Collect and organize your favorite symbols
◉ Quickly copy character info to the clipboard
◉ Insert characters into the text field and compose text using the system keyboard
◉ Share your text via Messages, Mail, Mastodon, etc – or open it in other apps like Pages

Keyboard
◎ Type special symbols in any app
◎ Quickly input your favorite and recently used characters
◎ Browse curated categories – choose from more than 150 categories*
◎ Designed to compliment the Emoji keyboard

Widgets
■ Add your favorite symbol to your Lock Screen
■ View stats for how many drawings you've submitted to help improve Search by Drawing

Apple Watch
◆ Add your favorite symbol to your watch face
◆ Quickly access your favorite and recently used characters
◆ Copy character info to your iPhone’s clipboard

And More
● Beautiful Liquid Glass design
● Light and dark mode
● Full accessibility support
● Handoff support
● Drag and Drop
● Keyboard shortcuts and menu bar on iPad
● Support for adding links to characters in Quick Note
● Siri integration including support for "Siri share this" and "Siri remind me about this"
● Universal app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple silicon Mac
● No ads, no tracking, no subscriptions

* All Categories can be unlocked via a one-time in-app purchase.

** Search by Drawing is powered by an on-device machine learning model that predicts matching symbols as you draw in real-time. You can help improve symbol recognition by submitting your own drawings!

## Key features

- Access hundreds of thousands of Unicode characters
- Custom keyboard for typing special symbols in any app
- Search characters by name, info, or drawing
- Organize favorite characters
- View character name, Unicode, and UTF-8 info
- Browse curated categories and full Unicode table

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Categories | $9.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of UniChar?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Straightforward and effective
- 🚀 Highly useful and efficient
- 💡 Excellent integration with keyboard
- 🎨 Beautiful and polished design

**Cons**

- 🔒 Paywall for full access
- 🐛 Keyboard not working as expected
- 🔍 Lacking search functionality in keyboard
- 📂 Confusing organization of categories

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Keyboard disappearing from settings
- Drawing search feature not working
- Certain characters not rendering properly

**Most requested features**

- Add search by name/code in app
- Allow multi-selection of characters
- Sync favorites across devices
- Expand character coverage (e.g. Greek, Alchemical)
- Provide font options to display more symbols

## Recent user reviews (10 of 213)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unichar-unicode-keyboard/id880811847/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Practical & still getting better

*2026-07-14, version 8.1*

I use UniChar primarily as a way to add symbols for renaming Pokemon in PokeGo.

It made life so much easier for gaming! Sorting & assigning characters & symbols to represent skills, elements & stats saved hours of time once setup.

UniChar has been useful outside gaming too when I needed to find & enter symbols not supported by the default iOS Keyboard.

The most surprising part was how responsive the developer was. Every-time I ran into issues & contacted him (via the support email), he replied within a few days & addressed the issues once confirmed with an update.

Thank you for making UniChar.

### 5/5 — A great app

*2026-07-12, version 8.1*

Its a great app! And i like the variety of symbols i can choose! and the "favorites" place for the keyboard is pretty cool!

### 5/5 — Still Great… but used to be even better.

*2026-07-10, version 8.1*

The recent update being able to switch off "recents" in the keyboard is great… but I have to say I miss the old functionality.

The app is simpler now, but you used to be able to select which glyphs were visible in the app and keyboard, while maintaining categories. It was very powerful customisation.

Now I just have to fill out favourites if I want something similar without endless noise… it's not as good.

With that said, this app is still the best in its category. It's just simpler now, which I'm sure has benefits too.

Thanks for keeping it alive. Never less than 5 stars.

### 1/5 — Latest Update Ruined App

*2026-07-07*

This app used to be so nice for pokemon go naming. 

The last update completely changed the UI and now all the characters on my "Favorites" keyboard are WAYY too big and not aligned properly. 

This app was great, but can't even use it anymore.. bring back the OLD APP!! 

Also PLEASE make icloud syncing for your favorite characters.. my phone broke before the bad update and I just now redownloaded it. I spent like 2 hours adding all my old favorites back in order just to have finished it and realize that the UI changed (for the worse) and is completely different (TOO BIG) and my nice organized keyboard is now a jumbled mess that's impossible to rearrange in an organized manner because the character icons take up way too much space and I can't fit as many. Grrrr #BOO

Also, please make a way to turn of "recents" keyboard! Especially as a default.. I just want one keyboard categories (Favorites) with all the characters I would regular use!


NOTE TO DEVS:
I WILL CHANGE MY RATING IF YOU ADDRESS MY ISSUE WITH NEW UI

### 3/5 — Unbelievable there's no iCloud syncing

*2026-06-26, version 8.0.1*

Probably around 3 years ago I spent a long time favoriting hundreds and hundreds of characters. There was an issue with the app, so I uninstalled it and reinstalled it. They're all gone. I'm also pretty sure I contacted you about this app and requested iCloud syncing around that time. I don't use the symbols as much anymore, but just very disappointing to see that everything I saved is now gone

### 5/5 — Nice

*2026-06-22, version 8.0.1*

Love it

### 5/5 — Love access to ancient symbols.

*2026-06-16, version 8.0.1*

Love having access to ancient symbols.

### 5/5 — the BEST Unicode keyboard I have found

*2026-05-08, version 8.0.1*

This is the best Unicode viewer/keyboard I have found.  After nearly 20 years of trying Unicode viewing/finding software this is the one that makes characters/symbols/glyphs readily available in the clearest way. Others that I’ve tried go part way but always full short. This is the one that is closest to perfection. Well worth the money — I would recommend it to anybody who needs to use unusual, uncommon or obscure Unicode symbols.

### 4/5 — Almost perfect app

*2026-05-06*

I have been using this app for almost 10 years now and I love it. However, I used to be able to decide which symbols are visible in my UniChar keyboard and which are not. This was an excellent feature but for some reason now I can just pick entire categories since some recent update which bothers me a bit. Some categories are huge and I end up scrolling just to find the symbol I have been looking for. The feature is gone or well hidden - I cant find it anymore.

### 5/5 — I LOVE this app

*2026-04-09, version 8.0.1*

I love this app. Because it has almost all Unicode symbols!

## Frequently asked questions about UniChar

### What does UniChar do?

UniChar is a Unicode character app and keyboard that allows you to quickly find, type, and work with special symbols. It provides access to hundreds of thousands of characters organized into categories and a full Unicode table, enabling you to search for and insert symbols into any app.

### What are the key features of UniChar?

Key features include a custom keyboard for typing special symbols, the ability to search for characters by name or even by drawing, access to the entire Unicode table, and the option to organize favorite characters for quick access. It also provides detailed information about each character, such as its name and Unicode value.

### Is UniChar free to use?

The app is free to download and use, offering access to its core functionalities. However, it does feature in-app purchases, suggesting that some advanced features or content might require a purchase.

### What devices is UniChar compatible with?

UniChar is a universal app, meaning it is designed to work seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Apple silicon Mac devices. It also offers features like Handoff and Drag and Drop for enhanced cross-device functionality.

### Who would benefit from using UniChar?

This app is beneficial for anyone who needs to use special characters regularly, such as developers working with Unicode code points and UTF-8 encodings, writers needing specific symbols, or designers looking for unique text elements. Its extensive character library and convenient keyboard make it a versatile tool.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 8.1 — 2026-07-07

This update adds the ability to hide Recently Used and Favorites categories from the app and keyboard.

### 8.0.2 — 2026-06-28

This update includes minor enhancements.

### 8.0.1 — 2026-02-26

UniChar 8 introduces an updated design and powerful new features:
◉ Optimizations for iOS and iPadOS 26, including a new Liquid Glass design
◉ Choose from over 150 categories to show in the app and keyboard
◉ Search all Unicode characters
◉ Identify characters in search
◉ Select custom fonts for rendering characters
◉ Customize the character size
◉ Add any character to Favorites, even one containing multiple code points, via a new share sheet action
◉ UTF-8 replaces HTML in character info
◉ Stability improvements

### 8.0 — 2026-02-23

UniChar 8 introduces an updated design and powerful new features:
◉ Optimizations for iOS and iPadOS 26, including a new Liquid Glass design
◉ Choose from over 150 categories to show in the app and keyboard
◉ Search all Unicode characters
◉ Identify characters in search
◉ Select custom fonts for rendering characters
◉ Customize the character size
◉ Add any character to Favorites, even one containing multiple code points, via a new share sheet action
◉ UTF-8 replaces HTML in character info

### 7.7 — 2025-06-05

◦ New Lock Screen widget to display your favorite symbol
◦ Rebuilt Apple Watch app — personalize your watch face with your favorite symbol
◦ Various enhancements and bug fixes

## Apps similar to UniChar

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Fonts: Aesthetic Font Keyboard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fonts-aesthetic-font-keyboard/id1479472731) | 4.4 (3,112) | Free | Reference |
| [TikFonts - Keyboard Fonts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tikfonts-keyboard-fonts/id1476600160) | 4.4 (4,985) | Free | Reference |
| [Social Fonts Keyboard for Bio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/social-fonts-keyboard-for-bio/id1477221891) | 4.3 (2,746) | Free | Reference |
| [Fire Fonts \| Fonts for iPhones](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fire-fonts-fonts-for-iphones/id1481338856) | 4.5 (4,703) | Free | Reference |
| [unicode symbols: glyfs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unicode-symbols-glyfs/id1611012797) | 4.4 (28) | Free | Reference |
| [Fonts & Ai Keyboard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fonts-and-ai-keyboard/id1495509401) | 4.2 (13) | Free | Reference |

## More apps by Jordan Hipwell

- [DateStamper](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/datestamper/id916281570)
- [Wonder Window](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wonder-window/id1202612591)
- [Plant Daddy — Water Reminders](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plant-daddy-water-reminders/id1497476884)
- [Music Info — Song Metadata](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-info-song-metadata/id1521580618)
- [Color Meter: Pixel Picker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-meter-pixel-picker/id6763177978)

All apps by Jordan Hipwell: https://appshunter.io/developer/880811850

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*