Google Messages getting emoji chat reactions in RCS
If you’re used to reacting to Facebook posts and messages with emoji reactions, you probably wish you could do it everywhere as well. If your Google Messages supports RCS conversations, it looks like you might get that wish soon. Some users are reporting that they’re seeing these emoji reactions in their apps already, although it looks to be a server-side update and not part of the new beta release. Hopefully, Google will roll it out more widely and include that other feature that we know is coming.
Earlier this year, XDA Developers did an APK teardown of Google Messages and saw two upcoming features: drawing on images that they want to share with friends and the aforementioned emoji reactions to RCS conversations. What users are seeing now is the latter but no sign of the former yet. In any case, having emoji reactions is a good way to react to something without having to say anything just yet. Facebook has found it useful in terms of interaction and hopefully, Google Messages will see that too.
The chat reactions work similar to Facebook’s reaction buttons. There are currently seven reactions to choose from: thumbs up, heart eyes smiley, crying-laughing face, surprised face, crying face, angry face, and thumbs down. It looks like they’re arranged from positive to negative emotions so you have the full range to choose from. Of course, we’ll hear people requesting for other things like roll eyes, facepalm, and the recent hug/care emoji, but for now, this is what we’re getting.
To get the emoji reaction options, you have to tap and long press on the message and then select the one you want to use or react with. Some people actually just use it rather than actually replying to the message, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the context. There doesn’t seem to be any sign that the drawing on image feature is rolling out to select users, so it’s just going to be the emoji reactions for now.
Some users reported seeing it after they updated the app to the latest update but the feature itself doesn’t seem to be part of the latest Google Messages beta release. But just in case, you should still update to the latest version if you’re on the beta program already. If you aren’t part of it yet but you’re in a region that supports RCS messages, you might want to sign up for the open beta program.