Emoji Launcher - Stickers & Themes

Zift Advisory

The Emoji Launcher app is a free app that allows users to access a wide range of emoji, GIFs, wallpapers and more. Emoji Launcher is only available for Android devices, is rated for teen users, features advertisements. While the content of this app is safe for kids, parents will want to avoid this app due to it's invasive nature.

About Emoji Launcher - Stickers & Themes

What is Emoji Launcher - Stickers & Themes?

Formerly called Emoji Phone, the Emoji Launcher app is a free app that allows users to access a wide range of emoji, GIFs, wallpapers and more.

Emoji Launcher is only available for Android devices and is rated for teen users. The Emoji Launcher app feature in-app advertisements.

Parents should be aware that Emoji Launcher is a “launcher” app, which means it takes over a user’s home screen to make it easier to access the features of the app and integrate them into their phone, either by customization or quick access via shortcuts.

The Emoji Launcher app requires users to give extensive permissions to run on devices, essentially giving the app the ability to access most areas of the device, in addition to being subject to a relentless barrage of advertisements.

It’s important to note that because Emoji Launcher is a launcher app, a user’s home screen is not exempt from receiving pop-up advertisements. In fact, a common user complaint is that, in addition to “taking over” user devices, Emoji Launcher displays advertisements on a user’s home screen.

Is Emoji Launcher - Stickers & Themes safe for my kids?

Parents should definitely weigh whether an emoji and GIF app is really worth the headache it presents. While the content of this app is safe for kids, parents may want to avoid this app due to it's invasive nature.

Where parents do have cause for concern is in the permissions of the Emoji Launcher app, which unnecessarily exposes user information to yet another party. As the Emoji Launcher app is one of convenience, not a necessity, users should carefully consider whether the free app is worth the cost of another application accessing information from their device.

Parents and users should be aware that by installing the Emoji Launcher app, they are also giving it access to:

Retrieve running apps
Read Web bookmarks and history
Find accounts on the device
Add or remove accounts
Read device contacts
Approximate location (network-based)
Precise location (GPS and network-based)
Read device text messages
Receive device text messages
Directly call phone numbers
Read call log
Access USB storage filesystem
Read the contents of USB storage
Modify or delete the contents of USB storage
Bind to a notification listener service
Read historical network usage
Close other apps
Modify secure system settings
Access Bluetooth settings
Send sticky broadcast
Delete all app cache data
Disable device screen lock
Control flashlight
Full network access
Change device audio settings
Reorder running apps
Draw over other apps
Prevent device from sleeping
Modify system settings
Write web bookmarks and history

If you’re thinking this is a lot of access within your phone, it is, some of which is only established to be able to feed information to third-party advertisers.

And while the Emoji Launch app is free to download and use, users should be aware that they will be served pop-up ads at an accelerated rate; in this sense, app use isn’t free since users “pay” for the privilege to use the app by agreeing to be served limitless advertisements.

Again, the incessant ad display, paired with the amount of permissions the Emoji Launcher app requires should be enough to give potential users and parents pause before downloading and running on their device.