diff --git a/spec/emojis.js b/spec/emojis.js
index fe984bf19..c8a39e452 100644
--- a/spec/emojis.js
+++ b/spec/emojis.js
@@ -347,18 +347,19 @@ describe("Emojis", function () {
                 async function (done, _converse) {
 
             await mock.waitForRoster(_converse, 'current');
-            const sender_jid = mock.cur_names[1].replace(/ /g,'.').toLowerCase() + '@montague.lit';
+            const contact_jid = mock.cur_names[1].replace(/ /g,'.').toLowerCase() + '@montague.lit';
             _converse.handleMessageStanza($msg({
-                    'from': sender_jid,
+                    'from': contact_jid,
                     'to': _converse.connection.jid,
                     'type': 'chat',
                     'id': _converse.connection.getUniqueId()
                 }).c('body').t('😇').up()
                 .c('active', {'xmlns': 'http://jabber.org/protocol/chatstates'}).tree());
             await new Promise(resolve => _converse.on('chatBoxViewInitialized', resolve));
-            const view = _converse.api.chatviews.get(sender_jid);
+            const view = _converse.api.chatviews.get(contact_jid);
             await new Promise(resolve => view.model.messages.once('rendered', resolve));
-            await u.waitUntil(() => u.hasClass('chat-msg__text--larger', view.content.querySelector('.chat-msg__text')));
+            await u.waitUntil(() => view.content.querySelector('.chat-msg__text').innerHTML.replace(/<!---->/g, '') ===
+                '<img class="emoji" draggable="false" title=":innocent:" alt="😇" src="https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/12.1.6//72x72/1f607.png">');
 
             const last_msg_sel = 'converse-chat-message:last-child .chat-msg__text';
             let message = view.content.querySelector(last_msg_sel);
@@ -381,6 +382,10 @@ describe("Emojis", function () {
             expect(imgs.length).toBe(2);
             expect(imgs[0].src).toBe(_converse.api.settings.get('emoji_image_path')+'/72x72/1f4a9.png');
             expect(imgs[1].src).toBe(_converse.api.settings.get('emoji_image_path')+'/72x72/1f607.png');
+
+            const sent_stanzas = _converse.connection.sent_stanzas;
+            const sent_stanza = sent_stanzas.filter(s => s.nodeName === 'message').pop();
+            expect(sent_stanza.querySelector('body').innerHTML).toBe('💩 😇');
             done()
         }));
 
diff --git a/src/headless/converse-emoji.js b/src/headless/converse-emoji.js
index cda48b399..d6cffc972 100644
--- a/src/headless/converse-emoji.js
+++ b/src/headless/converse-emoji.js
@@ -119,19 +119,21 @@ export function getEmojiMarkup (data, options={unicode_only: false, add_title_wr
     const emoji = data.emoji;
     const shortname = data.shortname;
     if (emoji) {
-        if (options.add_title_wrapper) {
-            if (api.settings.get('use_system_emojis')) {
+        if (options.unicode_only) {
+            return emoji;
+        } else if (api.settings.get('use_system_emojis')) {
+            if (options.add_title_wrapper) {
                 return shortname ? html`<span title="${shortname}">${emoji}</span>` : emoji;
             } else {
-                const path = api.settings.get('emoji_image_path');
-                return html`<img class="emoji"
-                    draggable="false"
-                    title="${shortname}"
-                    alt="${emoji}"
-                    src="${path}/72x72/${data.cp}.png"/>`;
+                return emoji;
             }
         } else {
-            return emoji;
+            const path = api.settings.get('emoji_image_path');
+            return html`<img class="emoji"
+                draggable="false"
+                title="${shortname}"
+                alt="${emoji}"
+                src="${path}/72x72/${data.cp}.png"/>`;
         }
     } else if (options.unicode_only) {
         return shortname;