The update is in beta.
Google Messages with Full Emoji Reactions
The Google Messages team is busy tinkering with the app. In October, it tested delivered and read status indicators. If you have RCS Chat enabled, you will get delivery indicators and Read receipts. The words will appear below the last sent message.
After testing these indicators, the team is ready to roll out full emoji reactions. Some users can test this feature today.
The app lets you long-press on an RCS chat to react with one of the seven emojis. These emojis have been around for some time now.
Recently, Google Messages added a full set of emoji reactions. You can find them by tapping the plus icon. This will bring up the full picker. Emojis are organized by category.
If you have used a reaction, it will appear in the top row. It is not yet clear whether they will replace the defaults.
You can choose the full emojis for more nuanced reactions in this app. You can tap the character appearing at the bottom-right corner of a bubble so you can get a better view.
Again, this is still in beta mode. It may not be available on your device yet.
End-to-End Encryption
The app drives the RCS chat experience for Android users around the world. However, the experience is not done. Last month, the app brought end-to-end encryption for group chats over RCS.
Google added end-to-end encryption to Google Messages in 2020. It went live globally. At that time, the encryption only supported one-on-one chat. Group chats were unencrypted.
Thankfully, earlier this year, Google confirmed that E2E would be coming to group chats over RCS. And last October, we saw the first signs of it.
But for it to work, the feature must be flipped on for all participants.
A lot of updates are coming to Google Messages.
But users are more excited to see the emoji reactions. They are gaining a lot of popularity. They have become an alternative to text-based replies. These reactions are a nonverbal mode of communication.
But should you use reactions instead of text-based replies?
It depends on the recipient.
However, for some people, the reactions are bad. One reason is that you want to share something because you want to connect with that person.
Giving that person a reaction is like giving a head nod in response. It’s strange if it happened in person. That’s because people want to hear something from you after they reach out.
Then again, some reactions are good for some texts, like I’m running late or I’ll see you soon.
However, other people find reactions useful. They will allow you to reach out and show the sender that you appreciate the link or picture. The reactions are also good if you see a bunch of texts. It’s easy to use them.
While waiting for Google Messages to roll out full emoji reactions widely, let us know what you think about the updates on Google Messages.
