Google's Messages app could soon support iPhone reactions, report says
Emoji reactions from iPhones will simply attach themselves to the intended texts on Android phones.
People who use Messages may stop feeling like texting pariahs.
Google's Messages app could properly show emoji reactions from iPhone users soon, according to a report from 9to5Google. An update was reportedly spotted in the newest beta for Messages, version 10.7, that features a fix for emoji reactions from Apple's iMessage service to Google's Messages app.
The change would affect a lot of people. Messages, which is Google's texting app for its Android mobile operating system, has been downloaded over a billion times, according the Google Play app store.
Before the update, when an iPhone user reacted to an Android user's text with an emoji, the reaction was sent as a separate message. Instead of showing an emoji attached to the intended message, for example, the Messages app would create a separate text that read "liked," "loved" or "emphasized," along with a repeat of the original message.
After the update, the emoji reactions are properly attached to the messages, as seen in screenshots posted by 9to5Google on Friday. If you tap on the emoji reaction, a popup saying that it was "translated from iPhone" will reportedly appear.
9to5Google reports that the feature has slowly begun rolling out. Google didn't immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.