diff --git a/src/lib/eina/eina_abi.c b/src/lib/eina/eina_abi.c
index 0372f08935..b6c109e5c3 100644
--- a/src/lib/eina/eina_abi.c
+++ b/src/lib/eina/eina_abi.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 #include "eina_config.h"
 #include "eina_private.h"
+#include "eina_unicode.h"
 #include "eina_safety_checks.h"
 
 #if EINA_SIZEOF_WCHAR_T >= 4
@@ -32,55 +33,12 @@ typedef wchar_t Eina_Unicode;
 typedef uint32_t Eina_Unicode;
 #endif
 
-EAPI Eina_Unicode
-_eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(int ind,
-			    unsigned char d,
-			    const char *buf, 
-			    int *iindex);
-
 #define ERROR_REPLACEMENT_BASE  0xDC80
 #define EINA_IS_INVALID_BYTE(x)      ((x == 192) || (x == 193) || (x >= 245))
 #define EINA_IS_CONTINUATION_BYTE(x) ((x & 0xC0) == 0x80)
 
 EAPI Eina_Unicode eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(const char *buf, int *iindex)
 {
-   int ind;
-   Eina_Unicode r;
-   unsigned char d;
-
-   EINA_SAFETY_ON_NULL_RETURN_VAL(buf, 0);
-   EINA_SAFETY_ON_NULL_RETURN_VAL(iindex, 0);
-
-   ind = *iindex;
-
-   /* if this char is the null terminator, exit */
-   if ((d = buf[ind++]) == 0) return 0;
-
-   if ((d & 0x80) == 0)
-     { // 1 byte (7bit) - 0xxxxxxx
-        *iindex = ind;
-        return d;
-     }
-
-   if ((d & 0xe0) == 0xc0)
-     { // 2 byte (11bit) - 110xxxxx 10xxxxxx
-        r  = (d & 0x1f) << 6;
-        if (((d = buf[ind++]) == 0) || EINA_IS_INVALID_BYTE(d) ||
-            !EINA_IS_CONTINUATION_BYTE(d)) goto error;
-        r |= (d & 0x3f);
-        if (r <= 0x7F) goto error;
-        *iindex = ind;
-        return r;
-     }
-
-   return _eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(ind, d, buf, iindex);
-
-/* Gets here where there was an error and we want to replace the char
- * we just use the invalid unicode codepoints 8 lower bits represent
- * the original char */
-error:
-   d = buf[*iindex];
-   (*iindex)++;
-   return ERROR_REPLACEMENT_BASE | d;
+   return eina_unicode_utf8_next_get(buf, iindex);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/eina/eina_inline_unicode.x b/src/lib/eina/eina_inline_unicode.x
index 8fcb4f7e86..50f70d275c 100644
--- a/src/lib/eina/eina_inline_unicode.x
+++ b/src/lib/eina/eina_inline_unicode.x
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 #include "eina_safety_checks.h"
 
-EAPI Eina_Unicode _eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(int ind,
+EAPI Eina_Unicode _eina_unicode_utf8_next_get(int ind,
 					      unsigned char d,
 					      const char *buf, 
 					      int *iindex);
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ EAPI Eina_Unicode _eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(int ind,
 #define EINA_IS_CONTINUATION_BYTE(x) ((x & 0xC0) == 0x80)
 
 static inline Eina_Unicode
-eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(const char *buf, int *iindex)
+eina_unicode_utf8_next_get(const char *buf, int *iindex)
 {
    int ind;
    Eina_Unicode r;
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(const char *buf, int *iindex)
         return r;
      }
 
-   return _eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(ind, d, buf, iindex);
+   return _eina_unicode_utf8_next_get(ind, d, buf, iindex);
 
 /* Gets here where there was an error and we want to replace the char
  * we just use the invalid unicode codepoints 8 lower bits represent
diff --git a/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.c b/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.c
index 6d9a74051d..f59b3ea027 100644
--- a/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.c
+++ b/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.c
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ eina_unicode_escape(const Eina_Unicode *str)
 #define ERROR_REPLACEMENT_END   0xDCFF
 
 EAPI Eina_Unicode
-_eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(int ind,
+_eina_unicode_utf8_next_get(int ind,
                             unsigned char d,
                             const char *buf, 
 			    int *iindex)
diff --git a/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.h b/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.h
index 8b614d9cbf..898f60e700 100644
--- a/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.h
+++ b/src/lib/eina/eina_unicode.h
@@ -111,6 +111,21 @@ EAPI Eina_Unicode *eina_unicode_escape(const Eina_Unicode *str) EINA_ARG_NONNULL
 /* UTF-8 Handling */
 
 
+/**
+ * Reads UTF8 bytes from @p buf, starting at @p iindex and returns
+ * the decoded code point at @p iindex offset, and advances @p iindex
+ * to the next code point after this. @p iindex is always advanced,
+ * unless if the advancement is after the @c NULL.
+ * On error: return a codepoint between DC80 to DCFF where the low 8 bits
+ *   are the byte's value.
+ *
+ * @param buf the string
+ * @param iindex the index to look at and return by.
+ * @return the codepoint found, 0 if @p buf or @p iindex are NULL
+ * @since 1.8.0
+ */
+static inline Eina_Unicode eina_unicode_utf8_next_get(const char *buf, int *iindex) EINA_ARG_NONNULL(1, 2);
+
 /**
  * Reads UTF8 bytes from @p buf, starting at @p iindex and returns
  * the decoded code point at @p iindex offset, and advances @p iindex
@@ -124,7 +139,7 @@ EAPI Eina_Unicode *eina_unicode_escape(const Eina_Unicode *str) EINA_ARG_NONNULL
  * @return the codepoint found, 0 if @p buf or @p iindex are NULL
  * @since 1.1.0
  */
-static inline Eina_Unicode eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(const char *buf, int *iindex) EINA_ARG_NONNULL(1, 2);
+EAPI Eina_Unicode eina_unicode_utf8_get_next(const char *buf, int *iindex) EINA_ARG_NONNULL(1, 2) EINA_DEPRECATED;
 
 /**
  * Reads UTF8 bytes from @p buf, starting at @p iindex and returns