Google rolling out emoji reactions for Gmail users

Google is working on giving Gmail users the opportunity to react to emails with a single emoji on iOS and Android phones. According to Google, the feature is aimed to allow users to “express oneself and quickly respond.” Emoji reactions in Gmail are gradually rolling out, starting today, October 3 on Android. It will be available for iOS and web “over the next few months.” 

At the bottom of an email, users will see an “Add emoji reaction” button with a picker offering the usual options. The button is next to the three-dot menu. Tapping it opens a small menu where users can pick from the five default emojis. Once selected, that emoji appears in a reaction bar below the message. 

The user can touch and hold an emoji to see who sent it. Behind-the-scenes, the user has the ability to remove an emoji reaction after he/she adds it as part of the existing Under Send (5 to 30 seconds) feature.

To remove an emoji reaction, in the notification at the bottom of the message, tap Undo. The user can only change the “Undo Send” period on the computer. 

If the person to whom an emoji reaction is sent doesn’t have a Gmail address, they might receive a “[Name] reacted via Gmail” email with a link. This will also happen if they – 

● Use an older version of the Gmail app 

● Set your Conversation view to off 

● Use a third-party email solution, like Apple Mail or Microsoft Outlook. 

● Use a work or school account. 

Other conditions where emoji reactions won’t work include – 

● The user is in BCC 

● The user has already sent more than 20 reactions to the same message. 

● A message is encrypted with Client-side encryption 

● The sender has a custom reply-to address.