Google is late for the party when it comes to reactions. Facebook was one of the first companies to implement the feature in 2016 when it introduced them to give people more ways to respond to posts quickly. A year later, the company started testing reactions on Messenger, and they’ve been a part of the app ever since. For better and for worse, they have also been a long item in iMessage.
In the same announcement, Google highlighted a few other features it recently added to Messages. In addition to suggesting text and emoji based on the most recent message you received, Smart Reply will now also recommend stickers. They will appear on the part of the interface where you enter the text. The feature is currently only available in English.
Another relatively new addition is a built-in image editor that lets you scribble on any photo you take on your phone. To access it, you must take a photo with the full camera interface, not the compact one that appears the first time you send a photo.
Again, most of the latest Messaging features have been available in other chat apps for a while. However, they are important additions if Google will ever convince people to use Messages in any of the dozens of other applications they can use to send messages to their friends and family. If you don’t have access to reactions yet, be patient. As with most software implementations, it may take a while until you get the latest update.
