Finally, Google Messages is beginning to allow us the freedom to respond however we like

• Google Messages reactions are changing.
• The beta version of the app is allowing certain users to choose any Emoji as a reaction, not just the current seven.
• This change will likely roll out to the public in the coming weeks.

If you use Google Messages, you probably like the ability to respond to certain RCS messages with an Emoji. Appending something to someone’s message is more simpler and easier than writing out an actual response.

The issue, however, is that there are now only seven options available for reactions in Google Messages: and. All of those options are wise ones, but not in every circumstance. What if you wanted to answer with a “I don’t know” Emoji? Maybe one that says, “That makes me hungry,” would do? None of those seven options would be effective.

Thankfully, it appears that Google is preparing to fix this. According to 9to5Google, the flyout bar that displays when you long-press an RCS message now has a new set of options for some Messages app beta users. The redesigned menu removes the and substitutes a new icon that opens the whole Emoji picker. This would enable you to respond to a message using any of the thousands of Emojis that are accessible, not just the seven.

Reactions in Google Messages: When will they arrive?
9to5
In one of its APK teardowns from September, Google actually discovered this. We haven’t, however, observed this being tested on the beta channel before. There is a strong likelihood that this feature will make it into the stable version of the app given the broad popularity of the function and the speed at which it is being tested.

In the upcoming weeks, we anticipate this to become a common feature of Messages. Before we can make any firm statements, we must wait for Google to formally reveal these Google Messages reactions.