After several months of testing and testing the feature with beta users, WhatsApp has now started rolling out the ability to react with an emoji to messages in a conversation. Yes, you heard right. Just like on Instagram and Messenger, you can no longer choose to type a reply but instead react to messages with an emoji to express how you feel about them. Emoji reactions feature is now reaching all iOS, Android and desktop/web users of WhatApp, let’s learn how to use this feature. Here’s how to react to a message on WhatsApp with an emoji.
Guide to WhatsApp Emoji Message Responses (2022)
What Are Emoji Message Reactions?
As the name suggests, emoji reactions feature lets you quickly react to specific messages with emojis and share your opinion without filling the chat with new messages. This means you can use the face with tears of joy emoji to react to a funny message, or with the thumb to approve a message sent in a group chat.
It’s a simple feature that’s been around for years on apps like Instagram and Messenger. He eventually reached out to WhatsApp to bring parity among the messaging apps owned by Meta (formerly Facebook). There is no steep learning curve for this feature so let’s learn how to use it.
Available Emoji Responses and Meaning
WhatsApp currently offers six emojis that you can use to react to messages in a conversation, and they are:
- Thumbs up (👍)
- heart (❤️)
- Faced with tears of joy (😂)
- open mouth (😮)
- crying face (😢)
- Person with clasped hands (🙏)
The messaging app aims to add support for all emojis and skin tones, as does Instagram, said Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp. official tweet. If you want to learn about more emoji and their meanings, head over to our linked guide. You can also read about the meanings of different emojis on Snapchat here.
How to React to WhatsApp Messages with Emoji (Android/ iOS)
With the basics gone, it’s time to learn how to send emoji reactions in WhatsApp conversations. It works the same on Android and iOS devices. Here’s how to use the feature:
1. Open WhatsApp and go to a chat. Here, long press on the message you want to react to and you will see the emoji reactions bar pop up on your screen.
2. Select the emoji you want to react to and it will appear at the bottom edge of the message bubble. The message response feature looks like this:
3. If you want to see how many people have reacted to a WhatsApp message and which emoji are using it, tap the emojis that appear in the message bubble.
How to React to WhatsApp Messages with Emoji (Web/Desktop)
The way to use emoji reactions in the web and desktop app for WhatsApp looks a little different, so let’s see how it works:
1. Open a conversation in WhatsApp in the web app. Then hover over a message to see a new emoji icon appear next to it.
2. Tap the emoji icon to react to a message with any of the six available options.
How to Change Your Emoji Response
WhatsApp also lets you change your emoji reaction to a message with ease. In this section, we have explained how you can change the emoji reaction using mobile and web applications.
1. On Android and iOS, you can long press the same message again to see the emoji reaction bar. Your current reaction will be highlighted in gray. Now, select another emoji to change your reaction and you are done.
note: When you change the emoji reaction and the recipient hasn’t opened the notification yet, the change will be reflected in the notification. h/t my colleague Uday for this insightful little info.
2. Hover over the same message to see the emoji icon once again in WhatsApp web and desktop apps. Click on the emoji and choose your new reaction. Yes, it’s that easy.
How to Remove WhatsApp Emoji React
Finally, you also have the option to remove your emoji reaction from messages in WhatsApp. It works the same on all platforms like Android, iOS or web app. Here’s how to remove a reaction:
1. You can tap on your emoji reaction that appears below the chat bubble. You will now see a popup showing your reaction and “Tap to remove” with the same ease. Your reaction to this message will disappear immediately.
2. Here’s how the option to remove a reaction in WhatsApp appears on the web and in the Windows/macOS desktop app. After clicking the emoji response in the chat bubble, Select “Click to remove” to correct your reaction.
note: The emoji reactions feature is currently not available in the WhatsApp UWP Beta app on Windows devices. It will probably be added in the coming days.
Try the New WhatsApp Message Responses Feature
So yes, that’s pretty much everything you need to know about using emoji reactions in WhatsApp. Emojis are currently limited to six default options, but it will be worth everyone’s time when the messaging app adds support for all emojis. Additionally, WhatsApp has announced that it is introducing Communities to make it easier to manage groups, support up to 32 users in group voice calls, and more. Also, it is now possible to use WhatsApp on multiple devices without your phone being connected to the internet.
