Emoji reactions are making their way to Gmail, allowing users to express themselves with colorful images. This feature is currently rolling out for Android users and will be available for iOS and web users in the coming months, according to a post on the Google support site.
To use emoji reactions in Gmail, simply open the Gmail app and select the message you want to respond to. Below the message, there will be an option to “add emoji reaction,” which will display a list of emojis to choose from. The selected emoji will then appear at the bottom of the email.
The entire emoji library will be available for selection, but users may need to tap “more” to access options beyond the basic five. By touching and holding the emoji, users can see who sent that particular reaction. It is also possible to reuse someone else’s reaction or choose a different one to add.
If an emoji is mistakenly attached to an email, it can be removed within a specific time frame. Users will have 5 to 30 seconds to tap “undo” at the bottom of the message and delete the emoji. The send cancellation period can be adjusted in the Gmail settings.
However, emoji reactions may not be visible to all recipients. Some users, particularly those with older versions of Gmail, non-Gmail addresses, conversation view turned off, or using other email programs like Apple Mail or Microsoft Outlook, may only see an email with a link indicating that “[Name of sender] reacted via Gmail.”
It’s important to note that there are certain scenarios where emoji reactions may not be available. These include using a work or school account, sending to a group email list, sending to more than 20 recipients, receiving the email via BCC, using another email provider, encrypting the message with client-side encryption, or having a custom reply-to address.
