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What Does the OBJ () Emoji Mean? Download ArticleExplore this Article Sections 1 What is the OBJ () emoji? 2 Why are you seeing an OBJ () character error? 3 How to Fix the OBJ () Character Error Other Sections Video Related Articles References Co-authored by Krysten Jackson Reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones
Last Updated: October 28, 2024 Fact Checked
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This article was reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones and by wikiHow staff writer, Krysten Jackson. Anyah Gilmore-Jones is a Social Media Marketing Expert based in Nashville, Tennessee. An innovative experiential and social media marketer, Anyah is skilled at creating engaging brand experiences and leverages her passion for connecting people and ideas to drive organic growth for purpose-driven brands. As the founder of GROW by Gilmore, a social media strategy company, Anyah develops data-driven social media strategies focused on authentic community building. She has over 4 years of experience spearheading viral campaigns and producing content for brands like HBCU Buzz, Black & Scholared, SHEIN, and Project Art Collective. She received her BA from Howard University in Political Science and Government. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 412,023 times.
While browsing Facebook, Snapchat, or other social media, you may have come across a dashed box with the capital letters OBJ inside and wondered what exactly it was. Is it a new emoji, slang, or a glitch? In this article, we’ll take a look at what exactly this symbol is, why it pops up, and how to change it. Read on to learn more about OBJ ()!
What OBJ Means in Text
OBJ () is a Unicode replacement character that appears when an emoji isn't recognized. Unicode, a code converter used by computers, might show an OBJ error when the system is outdated, new emojis have been created, data has been corrupted, or if iPhone's voice-to-text feature has glitched.
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Section 1 of 3:
What is the OBJ () emoji?
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1 OBJ () is a Unicode replacement character. OBJ () is not an emoji itself, but rather a replacement character found in the Unicode system. Used by most computers, Unicode maps letters and symbols, including emojis, to short lines of code. This way, characters can be represented from device to device, in different fonts, and in different applications with few errors.[1]XResearch source
2 OBJ () appears when an object is not recognized. Although Unicode covers thousands of characters, it still has gaps, especially when it comes to the frequently updated emoji keyboard. When Unicode can’t recognize an object, your phone or computer will return the object replacement character: OBJ ().[2]XResearch source
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Why are you seeing an OBJ () character error?
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1 Unicode support is outdated or mismatched. Most devices use more recent versions of Unicode. However, some apps may be behind on updates and not support characters added later. On the other hand, some software may create their own characters outside of Unicode or not use Unicode entirely, which will also return the OBJ () error on incompatible devices.[3]XResearch source
2 New emojis have been created. New emojis may be added before you get the proper Unicode updates. If you suddenly see more replacement characters where you think emojis should be, there has likely been an update added to keyboards everywhere.[4]XResearch source
3 iPhone’s Voice-to-Text feature has glitched. iPhones use a speech recognizer tool that turns bites of speech into objects before changing them to text. Sometimes, this tool is not completely compatible with other software, which may see the speech objects but not know what word or letter to match them with. As a result, it returns the OBJ () placeholder instead.[5]XResearch source
4 Data has been corrupted. Sometimes when documents are transferred, data becomes corrupted and can’t be read. The unreadable symbols will be shown with replacement characters.[6]XResearch source
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How to Fix the OBJ () Character Error
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1 Update your operating system. Most likely, the software your phone or computer runs on has just gotten a little outdated. Go to your settings and check for system updates. Once all downloaded, you can browse OBJ () free.[7]XResearch source
2 Update applications to their latest version. If OBJ () characters are only showing up in one application, that app may be behind on updates or experiencing a temporary glitch. Head to the App Store, the Google Play Store, or the application website and check for updates. If available, install the latest development.
3 Update your browser. Because so much communication these days happens on the internet, keeping your computer’s browser up to date is important. If you start to notice OBJ () errors while you browse, check for and install updates when necessary.
4 Download an emoji keyboard. Some devices don’t come with compatible emoji keyboards. If you find yourself in this situation, search for an app with an emoji library you can then install and use on your phone or computer. The correct library will let you see what emoji people send you and let you send your own.[8]XResearch source
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Reviewed by: Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones Social Media Marketing Expert This article was reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones and by wikiHow staff writer, Krysten Jackson. Anyah Gilmore-Jones is a Social Media Marketing Expert based in Nashville, Tennessee. An innovative experiential and social media marketer, Anyah is skilled at creating engaging brand experiences and leverages her passion for connecting people and ideas to drive organic growth for purpose-driven brands. As the founder of GROW by Gilmore, a social media strategy company, Anyah develops data-driven social media strategies focused on authentic community building. She has over 4 years of experience spearheading viral campaigns and producing content for brands like HBCU Buzz, Black & Scholared, SHEIN, and Project Art Collective. She received her BA from Howard University in Political Science and Government. This article has been viewed 412,023 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 8Updated: October 28, 2024 Views: 412,023 Categories: Emoticons and Emojis In other languages Dutch Indonesian Italian Portuguese Spanish French Czech Japanese
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Download Article Explore this Article Sections 1 What is the OBJ () emoji? 2 Why are you seeing an OBJ () character error? 3 How to Fix the OBJ () Character Error Other Sections Video Related Articles References Co-authored by Krysten Jackson Reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones 
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Reviewed by: Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones Social Media Marketing Expert This article was reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones and by wikiHow staff writer, Krysten Jackson. Anyah Gilmore-Jones is a Social Media Marketing Expert based in Nashville, Tennessee. An innovative experiential and social media marketer, Anyah is skilled at creating engaging brand experiences and leverages her passion for connecting people and ideas to drive organic growth for purpose-driven brands. As the founder of GROW by Gilmore, a social media strategy company, Anyah develops data-driven social media strategies focused on authentic community building. She has over 4 years of experience spearheading viral campaigns and producing content for brands like HBCU Buzz, Black & Scholared, SHEIN, and Project Art Collective. She received her BA from Howard University in Political Science and Government. This article has been viewed 412,023 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 8 Updated: October 28, 2024 Views: 412,023 Categories: Emoticons and Emojis In other languages Dutch Indonesian Italian Portuguese Spanish French Czech Japanese 
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1 OBJ () is a Unicode replacement character. OBJ () is not an emoji itself, but rather a replacement character found in the Unicode system. Used by most computers, Unicode maps letters and symbols, including emojis, to short lines of code. This way, characters can be represented from device to device, in different fonts, and in different applications with few errors.[1] 
2 OBJ () appears when an object is not recognized. Although Unicode covers thousands of characters, it still has gaps, especially when it comes to the frequently updated emoji keyboard. When Unicode can’t recognize an object, your phone or computer will return the object replacement character: OBJ ().[2] Advertisement 
1 Unicode support is outdated or mismatched. Most devices use more recent versions of Unicode. However, some apps may be behind on updates and not support characters added later. On the other hand, some software may create their own characters outside of Unicode or not use Unicode entirely, which will also return the OBJ () error on incompatible devices.[3] 
2 New emojis have been created. New emojis may be added before you get the proper Unicode updates. If you suddenly see more replacement characters where you think emojis should be, there has likely been an update added to keyboards everywhere.[4] 
3 iPhone’s Voice-to-Text feature has glitched. iPhones use a speech recognizer tool that turns bites of speech into objects before changing them to text. Sometimes, this tool is not completely compatible with other software, which may see the speech objects but not know what word or letter to match them with. As a result, it returns the OBJ () placeholder instead.[5] 
4 Data has been corrupted. Sometimes when documents are transferred, data becomes corrupted and can’t be read. The unreadable symbols will be shown with replacement characters.[6] Advertisement 
1 Update your operating system. Most likely, the software your phone or computer runs on has just gotten a little outdated. Go to your settings and check for system updates. Once all downloaded, you can browse OBJ () free.[7] 
2 Update applications to their latest version. If OBJ () characters are only showing up in one application, that app may be behind on updates or experiencing a temporary glitch. Head to the App Store, the Google Play Store, or the application website and check for updates. If available, install the latest development. 
3 Update your browser. Because so much communication these days happens on the internet, keeping your computer’s browser up to date is important. If you start to notice OBJ () errors while you browse, check for and install updates when necessary. 
4 Download an emoji keyboard. Some devices don’t come with compatible emoji keyboards. If you find yourself in this situation, search for an app with an emoji library you can then install and use on your phone or computer. The correct library will let you see what emoji people send you and let you send your own.[8] Advertisement