iMessage reactions have long irritated Android users, but soon that issue will be a thing of the past, as Google Messages is starting to roll out iMessage reactions in beta for Android users.
Recall that Google Messages began testing a new feature in November of last year that translates an iMessage user’s reply to an appropriate emoji for the Android recipient, rather than regurgitating the emotion in words like Laughed at your original text>.
Only a few users had access to the feature at the time. But that will change today as Google begins to push out the feature to more users.
According to user reports, Google Messages has received a new beta update that finally adds support for iMessage reactions through Droid-Life.
With Google Messages version 20220121 02 RC00, users see the functionality become live. The capability is also enabled/disabled via a setting in Settings > Advanced > Show iPhone reactions as emoji.
Thanks to the latest update, Google Messages can now translate iMessage reactions into emojis and display them correctly on intended messages. This isn’t the ideal answer.
In Google Messages, the heart reaction from iMessage is displayed as “Smiling Face With Heart-shaped Eyes.” Still, it’s a vast improvement over the obnoxious, crowded texts that Google Messages used to display.
Users of iMessage can respond to Android messages, but Android users cannot respond to iMessage users.
For the time being, iMessage reaction support is only available in Google Messages’ current beta version. It is unknown when it will reach the stable channel.
You can sign up for the Google Messages beta program to give it a shot. You may also get the APK from APKMirror if you like.
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