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In Google Messages, press and hold an eligible message and choose an emoji to react. This works in RCS chats and, in countries Google supports, on text-only SMS/MMS messages—including ordinary texts sent by iPhone users. It does not guarantee that every recipient will see an iMessage-style reaction bubble, and reactions are not generally available for MMS photos or videos.
Add an emoji reaction on Android
- Open Google Messages and enter a conversation.
- Press and hold the message you want to react to.
- Choose an emoji from the reaction menu.
The reaction is attached to that specific message. Typing an emoji in the compose box and sending it creates a new message instead.
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Google Messages on the web supports the same function: hover over a message, select Reactions, and choose an emoji. See Google’s instructions at Google Messages Help.
Change or remove your reaction
Change it
Press and hold the message, then select a different emoji.
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Remove it
Press and hold the message and tap your highlighted reaction. Google Messages lets you change or remove only reactions you added.
React to a text from an iPhone user
Yes—if you are in a supported country and the message is an eligible text-only SMS or MMS message, Google Messages can let you react even when the sender uses an iPhone. Google currently lists the United States, France, Canada, and Australia for SMS/MMS reactions. The sender’s phone does not need to run Google Messages for the Android user to select a reaction.
What the iPhone user sees is a separate issue. Depending on the message protocol, Apple Messages version, carrier, and region, the reaction may be interpreted as an emoji, shown as text describing the reaction, or not appear as a native attachment to the original bubble. Google’s historical announcement describes reacting to iPhone SMS texts, but it does not promise identical rendering on every recipient device (Google’s announcement).
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Make incoming iPhone reactions display as emoji
Google Messages can convert supported iPhone reactions on text messages into emoji beneath the message. On supported installations, go to:
- Tap your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Messages settings.
- Tap Advanced.
- Turn on Show iPhone reactions as emoji.
Google limits this display option to the United States and English-language text messages. It does not cover images or other file types. The setting changes how incoming iPhone reactions are displayed in Google Messages; it cannot force every iPhone to render every reaction as a native bubble.
RCS, SMS and MMS: what changes
Look at the compose bar or send control to identify the protocol. An RCS message label or Wi-Fi/mobile-data indicator means the thread is using RCS. Text message, SMS or MMS indicates carrier messaging. RCS uses Wi-Fi or mobile data; SMS/MMS uses the carrier network (Google’s RCS fallback guidance).
| Conversation or message | Can you usually select a reaction? | What the other person may see |
|---|---|---|
| RCS text chat | Yes, when the participating devices, carriers and regions support RCS | Usually an in-message reaction, but cross-platform rendering can differ |
| SMS/MMS text in a supported country | Yes, for eligible text messages | An interpreted emoji or a text description rather than a native bubble |
| MMS photo or video | Google’s documented SMS/MMS reaction feature may not offer the control | No guaranteed attached reaction |
| Business RCS chat | No—Google says users cannot react to a business’s messages with an emoji | Use a regular reply instead |
RCS support depends on the phone, carrier, region and whether participants have RCS enabled (Google’s RCS availability information). Cross-platform RCS does not guarantee that every Google Messages feature behaves the same way in an Android-to-Android conversation.
Turn on and check RCS
- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Messages settings.
- Tap RCS chats. On some versions this is called Chat features.
- Turn on RCS chats and review the status.
Possible statuses include Connected, Connecting, Trouble connecting. Awaiting retry and Not supported. If RCS is unavailable, verify your internet connection, phone-number verification, carrier support, default messaging app and app updates. Google cautions that changing RCS settings can remove you from group chats, so do not repeatedly toggle the option without a reason (RCS settings help).
Why the reaction option is missing
The message is a photo or video
For SMS/MMS, Google documents reactions for text, not photos or videos received through MMS. Long-press the text portion of a conversation to test whether the control appears.
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Your country is not listed for SMS/MMS reactions
Google currently lists the United States, France, Canada and Australia. Outside those countries, reactions may still work in RCS chats but not on ordinary SMS/MMS texts.
The thread has fallen back to SMS or MMS
Check the compose bar. RCS fallback keeps messages deliverable but removes some richer features, including features that depend on RCS. SMS/MMS also is not end-to-end encrypted (Google’s security guidance).
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RCS is disabled, connecting or unsupported
Open Profile picture → Messages settings → RCS chats and read the status. A carrier restriction, a changed SIM or phone number, an unreliable data connection, or a participant without RCS can prevent the richer reaction behavior.
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Google Messages is not current or not the default app
Set Google Messages as the default SMS app and update it in the Play Store. Google’s troubleshooting guidance recommends updating the app when RCS features are not working (Google Messages troubleshooting).
It is a mixed group conversation
A group may contain RCS participants and people who can receive only SMS/MMS. Group behavior and who can see reactions can therefore differ from a one-to-one RCS chat. In an RCS group, tap the cluster of reactions beneath a message to see which participants applied them.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How mixed Android and iPhone chats behave
There are three practical outcomes:
- RCS conversation: you may get richer, attached reactions, but support still depends on both platforms, carriers and regions.
- Supported SMS/MMS text: Google Messages may let you react, while the iPhone user may receive an interpreted reaction or a text description.
- SMS/MMS media: a photo or video may have no reaction control, and Google’s iPhone-to-emoji conversion does not cover images or other files.
Turning on RCS does not make every thread RCS automatically. A recipient’s carrier, region, device and messaging app determine whether the conversation can use it. Google’s current documentation describes those dependencies at RCS availability and interoperability.
Quick diagnostic checklist
- Long-press a text, not a photo or video.
- Confirm that your country is one of Google’s listed SMS/MMS reaction regions.
- Read the compose-bar label: RCS message versus Text message.
- Check Profile picture → Messages settings → RCS chats for a Connected status.
- Update Google Messages and make it the default SMS app.
- For incoming iPhone reactions, check Advanced → Show iPhone reactions as emoji; remember the U.S., English-text limitation.
- If it is a business chat or a mixed group, expect different reaction support.
The Bottom Line
Google Messages can add emoji reactions to RCS conversations and to eligible text-only SMS/MMS messages in the United States, France, Canada and Australia. Long-press the message to begin, but expect recipient-side differences—especially with iPhone users—and no guaranteed reaction control for MMS photos or videos.
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