What You Need To Know
- Emoji reaction effects are available for SMS or RCS messages.
- Ten total reactions are available to users, and each will send a unique animated effect.
- Currently, the feature cannot be disabled for users who are not interested.
Google is introducing emoji reaction effects that are set to enhance the conversational experience on Google messages.
For example, a thumbs-up reaction sends several animated thumbs-up icons, while a crying face emoji reaction sends an animated umbrella complete with rain effects.
To take advantage of this newly deployed feature, users simply need to long-press on a message, either SMS or RCS, and they will be able to select the appropriate reaction from a designated list of 10.
The 10 reactions are as follows: thumbs up, thumbs down, red heart, face with tears of joy, face with open mouth, enraged face, angry face, crying face, party popper, and more.
This new update follows Google’s introduction of Photomoji, animated emojis, and screen effects. While it was initially revealed back in November as part of a larger message update to celebrate Messages’ 1 billion RCS users, it took a bit to actually make its way to handhelds.
At the time, Google said, “This feature, designed to add a dynamic twist to your chats, embraces the power of expression with all ten of these popular emoji.”
While these effects may be appealing to many users, other users may not see the same benefit. As it stands, those users are unable to disable the reactions, though that might change in the future.
In all, the latest update brings Google Messages more in line with the competing iMessage, which is available on Apple’s ecosystem. Previously, iMessage carried such effects, albeit with a different deployment mechanism. Regardless, this update will help add more fun to chats, and fun is always worth celebrating.