Google Messages starts rolling out iMessage reactions, but emoji translations are not quite 1:1
As we spotted in November and following the latest push for RCS support on iPhone earlier this month, Google Messages is starting to roll out iMessage reactions in beta for Android users. Once rolled out to your Android phone, Google Messages will convert iMessage reactions (officially referred to as “Tapbacks“) sent by iPhone users in response to SMS/MMS. Instead of them appearing as an annoying text version (e.g., Loved “Testing”), the response on your device will appear in the bottom-right corner of the message bubble you sent, similar to the iOS-to-iOS experience. That said, Google made some interesting choices in the translation process. The iMessage “Heart” becomes the “Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes” emoji. Similarly, “Haha” is “Face with Tears of Joy.” The “exclamation marks” become “Face with Open Mouth” and the question mark is “Thinking Face.” Thumbs up/down remains faithful to their iMessage counterparts. Google’s decision to use face emojis rather than symbols might se...