Of recent, Google has been working to streamline its messaging stack and bring RCS chat to the masses via its stock Messages app on Android. It’s not close to iMessage just yet but the company is continually adding new features to boost the experience. Emoji reactions to RCS messages is the latest feature under testing in the Messages app.
Emoji reactions were previously uncovered to be in the works by 9to5Google. But, the feature has now started showing up for users. This feature, for those unaware, lets you long-press on a message to see a host of emojis (similar to those seen on Facebook or Twitter) pop-up on your screen. You can respond to messages with emoji reactions to save yourself from a lengthy conversation. That’s one way to use them.
The emoji reactions feature was first spotted by users over on Reddit. But currently, it seems like the test is fairly limited and only a few users are seeing the seven different emoji choices (shown in the image above) available on long-pressing a message. The feature is not available for me, even in the beta build of Google’s Messages app.
Now, you must be wondering – what will happen if one user has received the reactions feature and the other hasn’t? Well, as reports point out, the user who doesn’t have the new emoji reactions feature will receive reactions via an RCS text message saying — *emoji* to *certain text message* to, let’s say, tell you that your friend laughed at your message. It looks super confusing at first, I know, and it could feel the same for many RCS users.
