Use expressive features in Google Messages

To make messages more visual and playful, you can react to messages with an emoji, like a smiley face.

Get started with reactions

Important: To apply reactions on Google Messages, you must connect your Google Messages account to an Android device.

Use reactions

Add a reaction

Tap and hold a message.
Choose an emoji reaction.

Tip: On a computer, to add a reaction, hover over a message. Click Reactions

Select a reaction.

Change a reaction

Important: You can only change your own reactions.

Tap and hold the message you reacted to.
Select a new reaction.

Remove a reaction

Important: You can only remove your own reactions.

Tap and hold the message you reacted to.
Tap the highlighted reaction.

Find out who applied the reaction

In a group chat, anyone can add a reaction to a message. To find out who added a reaction, tap the group of emoji reactions.

Turn off animated reactions

On your device, open the Settings app .
Select Accessibility Color and motion.
Turn on Remove animations.

Show iPhone reactions as texts

Important: This feature is only available in the U.S. on text messages sent in English.

When an iOS user reacts to a message, an emoji appears under their message. To get their reactions as texts, turn off the emoji reaction.

The emoji feature only applies when an iOS user reacts to text messages, not to images or any other file types.

Open Google Messages .
At the top right, tap profile photo Message settings Advanced.
Turn off Show iPhone reactions as emoji.

Use photomojis

Open Google Messages .
Open a conversation.
Tap the message box Emoji Create .
Select a photo from your image gallery.
If there are multiple subjects in the photo, tap the one you want to send.
Tap Send .

Create Photomoji to send as a reaction

Open Google Messages .
Open a conversation.
Tap and hold a message.
Tap Create .
Select a photo from your image gallery.
If there are multiple subjects in the photo, tap the one you want to send.
Tap Send .

Learn more about photomojis.

Use animated emoji

Most of the emoji are animated. You can send an emoji to see it animate in fun, delightful ways. By default, animated emoji are turned on.

Use screen effects

There's a lot of hidden messages that will trigger Screen Effects. You can send messages like “Happy Valentine’s Day” and see it animate, on both your screen and the recipient’s screen.

Disable animated features

Turn off expressive animations

On your Messages app, click your Profile photo and open Messages settings .
Turn off Show expressive animations.

Related resources

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