Google Messages Will Soon Let You React with a Double Tap

Over the past few years, Google has been focusing its efforts on making its RCS-powered Messages app the go-to for Android users, pushing Apple to adopt RCS in iMessage. Not only is the company offering frequent updates but also continuously working to roll out new features to offer a polished messaging experience. Now, Google Messages is planning to lift a simple yet useful feature from its competing messaging apps.

The latest in these feature additions is the ability to react by double-tapping on the message. As reported by 9to5Google, the latest Google Messages beta version 20240208_00_RC00 adds a code string that mentions a double tap to react feature. It will allow users to react to messages with either a heart or a like reaction.

As of now, reactions in Google Messages are only available in RCS chats. You have to tap and hold on a message to bring up an array of emoji reactions to choose from. Or, you can pick the recently added Photomoji feature released back in December last year.

The feature might work similarly to how you can double-tap to react to messages on Instagram and Telegram. We speculate that its implementation might work in the same manner. But you might still have to long press on the text to choose any other emoji reactions.

Besides the string code, no other proof or evidence of the feature being available exists. The feature is not even available in beta so it will be a while before we get to see this option in the stable version of the app.

It will add to the overall experience of making Google Messages feel that much more complete as a messaging service. I am excited to try out this feature, how about you? What other features do you wish to see in Google Messages? Let us know in the comments below.