Frequently Asked Questions

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CHANGE SUMMARY:  Added gamified learning using the classic hangman game.   200+ new emoji-words added to the built in library.  Minor performance improvements. 

KNOWN ISSUES:  None reported.

If you encounter any issues with this release please report them using the "Drop Us A Line" button at the bottom of the Home page.  

CHANGE SUMMARY:  Added support for iPad.  Fixed issues identified in Release 1.2

KNOWN ISSUES:  None reported.

If you encounter any issues with this release please report them using the "Drop Us A Line" button at the bottom of the Home page.  

CHANGE SUMMARY:  Bug fixes affecting the crossword game and free 24 hour Wordsmith trial.

KNOWN ISSUES: 

(1). MyWords that contain an "h", "o" or "w" in the English representation of the MyWord are not correctly shown in the Crossword game.  The fix has been identified but the developer intends to hold off on issuing the fix to allow time for other potential bugs to be identified.   The target date for the fix is April 1, 2024   The issue only affects the Crossword game.  The Wordsmith Interpretation features are unaffected.   The workaround is to re-specify the MyWord avoiding the three problem characters.

If you encounter any other issues with this release please report them using the "Drop Us A Line" button at the bottom of the Home page.  

CHANGE SUMMARY:

(1)  Crossword Game addition, where the user earns points by populating cells across and down as with a traditional crossword game.  The twist is that the cells are populated with emoji-Text representations of words entered in native language.

(2) Free 24 hour trial of Wordsmith in-app purchase, including the iMessenger extension.

(3) New in-app purchase of Unlimited MyWords (Non consumable.  Family sharing enabled.)

(4) Several ease of use improvements

(5) ~ 200 new English words added to the App Library.  ~ 50 new Spanish words.

KNOWN ISSUES: 

(1) Valid crosswords entries are not allowed in some situations.   This issue has been identified and the solution is being tested.  A fix release (1.1.1) is expected by March 1, 2024.

If you encounter issues with this release please report them using the "Drop Us A Line" button at the bottom of the Home page.  

(1)  ENABLING WORDSMITH  -  Some users have reported that the In-App purchase of the Wordsmith Upgrade does not immediately activate the Interpret tab and other Wordsmith features.  The developer will investigate.  If you encounter this issue, close the emoji-Text app.  Upon reopening the App the Wordsmith features will be enabled, and will subsequently remain enabled whenever the App is opened.  This is a one-time post-purchase issue.

(2) ENABLING WORDSMITH ON FAMILY DEVICES  -  The Apple App Family Sharing feature applies to the Wordsmith In-App Upgrade purchase.  Once Wordsmith is purchased on the first device, download the (free) emoji-Text app to other participating family devices from the App Store, open the App, select the Settings tab, proceed to the emoji-Text Wordsmith product screen and click on Restore Purchases.  Note that per (1) above it may be necessary to close and reopen the App to enable the Wordsmith features. 

If you encounter other issues with this release please report them using the "Drop Us A Line" button at the bottom of the Home page.  

Yes, with one caveat.  The emoji-Text app (App) has a feature enabling the user to compose their own "emojiWords" — emoji character combinations corresponding to natural language words.  While intended to let the user create emojiWords corresponding to names of people, pets and places there is the potential for some inappropriate emojiWord creation.    Other than this, the App is intended and designed  to be child friendly, as it:  (1) collects no information of any kind about the user, (2) presents no advertisements , (3) does not specifically enable or encourage social networking, and (4) the App's library of pre-defined emojiWords are child friendly (devoid of words pertaining adult themes, violence, vice, etc.).   Further, the basic App (free downloadable version): (1) lacks the capacity to interpret (reverse translate emojiWords to natural words)  that might be received from questionable origins, and (2) is not integrated into the iMessage system.    The in-app purchase of the emoji-TextWordsmith option (which includes iMessage integration and enables the translation of emojiWords back into natural words) is sold with the family sharing option, such that a parent or guardian can easily and immediately translate back to natural language any user-defined emojiWords created by or received by a family member.   As a general statement, if the child has reached an age where they are allowed to use a device with an enabled  messaging function, the use of the emoji-Text app with Wordsmith option does not materially contribute additional risk .  Conversely, if the child is not deemed ready for device messaging, the recommendation is to only allow use of the  free App (sans  Wordsmith in-app purchase). 

No.   emoji-Text converts native text entry into an all emoji text string that can been sent to  both iOS and non-iOS devices, even if the emoji-Text app is not present on the receiving device.   If the recipient is familiar with the methods for composing emojiWords they will, with a bit of practice, be able to readily understand the messages sent to them.   If the recipient iOS device has the Wordsmith in-app upgrade,  they can translate the emoji-Text message back into the native text used to compose the message.

No information, personal or otherwise, is collected by this application. 

No.   But if you are using the Wordsmith in-app upgrade, it is recommended that you: (1) change the emoji-Text app settings to automatically allow clipboard pasting without being prompted for permission, and (2) push the emoji-Text iMessage extension to the top of the list of all app extensions.

Go to the Settings tab on the emoji-Text app.   There you will find some very short guides to: (1) the basic emojiWord construction method, (2) emoji that have special meaning, (3) the emojiWord alphabet, and (4) a small collection of "sight words".   These guides will allow you to more quickly identify the native text equivalent of the emojiWords you encounter.   Use the Flashcards tab in the App to put into practice what you learn in these tutorials.  

OR...  Dive right into the Hangman game, designed for gamified learning.  Context sensitive TIPS are identified with the 💡 button to introduce you to the emoji-Text conventions.

Yes.  There are two allowed forms of duplication:  (1) Same English word with different emojiWord.  For example, you may have two (or more) friends named "Sam", each with a different emojiWord.   When composing emoj-Text and you type in "Sam" a pop-up menu will present the choices.   (2) Same emojiWord with different English word.  For example you could assign the emojiWord  🟢  to both the words "green" and "go".   The app will silently manage the differences such that someone receiving the emoji-Text message will get the intended word association when interpreting the message.   Note the App will not allow you to save two MyWord entries with the exact same combination of English and emojiWord. 

On average English words contain  about 40% vowels.   So in some ancient pictographic languages, Egyptian hieroglyphs for example,  they are simply eliminated,  probably due to limited tablet space and the high cost of scribe services.  To aid comprehension the intended word, sans vowels, was appended with a character that provides a clue to the intended word.   In the emoji-Text vocabulary this convention is generally followed; no vowels but a suffix emoji that clarifies the intended word.   The English language contains far more than the 7000+ words in the emoji-Text dictionary, so when they are encountered they are spelled out with vowels included (and no clue character suffix).  When you create your own emojiWords you have the option to include vowels.   But in general it's best to leave them out where you can to keep each emojiWord as short as possible.

In archaeology, a cartouche is a rounded oval or rectangle outline of an Egyptian hieroglyph representing the name and title of a monarch.  In emoji-Text, the rectangle is replaced by braces and more broadly used to denote any user-created proper noun; most typically the name of a person, pet or particular place.  Egyptian pharaohs had multiple cartouche for use in official vs. family narratives.  See the topic above about duplicate emoji-Words.