If you have a smartphone, you've probably used an emoji at least once. Who needs words when a goofy-looking ghost with its tongue sticking out perfectly sums up what you're trying to say anyway?

That's why if you're not an emojinius just yet, you probably want to get the most out of using these little pictures as you can. Luckily, there are plenty of apps out there that will expand upon the collection of emoji that come preset on your iPhone or Android phone and will help you better communicate with emoji. Think of it as expanding your vocabulary by using a dictionary or learning how to type faster.

You're going to love these seven emoji apps for iPhone and Android phones so much, you'll be tempted to only include emoji in your messages from now on.

1. Emoji Free - Emoticons Art & Cool Fonts Keyboard

Once you start using emoji, you're just going to want more and more. So naturally, one of the first apps any heavy emoji user should download is something that expands your emoji offerings. Emoji Free - Emoticons Art & Cool Fonts Keyboard is a good, free option for iPhone users. It's one of the better-looking emoji expansion keyboards that also includes animated emoji, emoji art and emoji fonts. A similar option for Android users is Emoji CoolSymbols Keyboard, which is also free to download from Google Play. There are several apps like these in both the App Store and the Google Play store, so in case you don't like either of these, you'll find one that's right for you. (Available for free in the App Store)

2. Emoji ++

In case you've spent seconds upon seconds swiping through the various tabs on your keyboard just to find the snowman emoji and just can't take it anymore, this app is for you. That emoji is in the tab with the flower on it, by the way. Emoji ++ puts all of your emoji in one list so you can find them super fast. In addition to a list of recent emoji used, this app also allows you to customize a list of favorites because we all know you return to that poop-like one with the smiley face again and again. (Available for $0.99 in the App Store)

3. Imoji

Before Unicode announced that it would be making more racially diverse emoji, people were upset that they didn't see themselves or people who looked like them in the currently available emoji. You could have just used Imoji to literally see yourself as an emoji. In this app, simply just choose an image saved on your phone, erase the parts you don't want included in the emoji and bam, your selfie or favorite photo of your cat are now immortalized as emoji. This is what success looks like. (Available for free from the App Store)

4. SMS Rage Faces - 2200+ Faces and Memes

Want more Internet memes with your messaging? Then download SMS Rage Faces, which turns some of the most famous memes to hit the Interwebs into images you can send to your friends. The gang's all here, from Grumpy Cat to Nigel Thornberry to Surprised Patrick. In the grand tradition of Internet memes, you can even add your own. (Available for free in the App Store and Google Play)

5. Emoji Type

One of the hardest things about using emoji to communicate is knowing exactly when to use one instead of words. That's where Emoji Type comes in. This custom keyboard autosuggests emoji as you're writing up a message. For instance, if you say, "Want to go grab a drink?" it might suggest a pint of beer or martini glass for you to use in your message. If only it could magically deliver those objects IRL too. (Available for $0.99 in the App Store)

6. KeyMoji

KeyMoji is another app that will make suggestions on how to translate your words into emoji. This app is nice because it shows you the emoji along with the phrase it stands for. It's like you can learn a whole new language just by sending text messages. Hopefully, the person on the receiving end actually understands what you're saying. (Available for free in the App Store)

7. Sliding Emoji Keyboard

Being friends with someone that is on a different smartphone platform than you can have its problems, one of which is the fact that emoji sent from an Android phone don't always appear the same on an iPhone. Sliding Emoji Keyboard will let you preview what your emoji from an Android phone will look like on an iPhone so no one gets offended by the way your alien looks. (Available for free from Google Play)

Image: fo.ol / Flickr

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