You can now search Yelp on mobile using emojis

Are your Twitter friends jumping down your throat for flooding them with emojis? Well, you might want to let off some emoji-filled steam on Yelp instead, because the business directory app now lets users search for establishments with the popular ideograms. Yes, it's just what it sounds like -- on mobile, the app parses any emoji you put in the search box (even if it's that smiling turd icon, as you can see after the break) and returns relevant results.

It's fun, but unless you've memorized the symbols on your phone or tablet, it's not any more convenient or faster than typing in words. So, if you're scratching your head wondering why Yelp's developers would even bother adding the feature, the answer is, well, they don't exactly have a reason. A spokesperson told us that the app's engineers came up with the crazy idea during a recent company hackathon, and guess what? Yelp's higher-ups ended up loving it so much, they officially added it to the app.