How to completely disable Unicode symbol transformation to emoji shortcodes?

Support
,
1

I’m facing an issue in Discourse where the Unicode symbol ♂ automatically gets transformed into the shortcode :male_sign:. This happens even when:

  1. The enable_emoji setting is disabled.

  2. The title_prettify setting is also disabled.

  3. Using an HTML code like ♂ doesn’t work (the code displays as-is in the title).

  4. Automatic word substitution doesn’t resolve the issue.

The image shows a dialog box with a checkmark and a save icon next to the text "& WPU — Схема работы объекта," and a "Выберите текст" prompt. (Подпись к изображению от AI)
The image shows a dialog box with a checkmark and a save icon next to the text "& WPU — Схема работы объекта," and a "Выберите текст" prompt. (Подпись к изображению от AI)806×160 5.93 KB

The image shows a comment within a chat interface displaying the text, "WPVU — Working Processing Unit," with an unverified status and username, along with icons indicating interactions such as replying and notifying others. (Подпись к изображению от AI)
The image shows a comment within a chat interface displaying the text, "WPVU — Working Processing Unit," with an unverified status and username, along with icons indicating interactions such as replying and notifying others. (Подпись к изображению от AI)985×160 14.3 KB

For example: when I add the ♂ symbol in a topic title, it is rendered as :male_sign:, which visually disrupts the site design.

My goal

I want Unicode symbols, such as ♂, to remain as they are without being transformed into emoji shortcodes—especially in cases where emoji-related settings are turned off.

Is there a way to completely disable this transformation globally, including for topic titles and inline content, so ♂ from devices like iPhone is rendered as the Unicode symbol and not as an emoji shortcode?

3 Likes