WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature that allows you to react to a message with emoji. This is not the first time that a messaging app has introduced an emoji reaction. Earlier, Facebook has also added emoji reactions to the like button. Instagram and Messenger also offer the same on Messages. WhatsApp's big rival Telegram is also no exception in this matter.
WhatsApp offers only 6 default emojis for message reactions which include love (heart), laugh, wow, sad and folded hands. Sometimes these emoji don't fit with the right sentiment that we want to convey in the message response. We will show how you can use the emoji of your choice in addition to the six default emoji provided by WhatsApp.
In the second case, we sometimes accidentally choose the wrong emoji while reacting to a message. Is it possible to undo it? Luckily, you can change your message responses on WhatsApp or even delete them if you don't want to react. So these are some of the things that we are going to teach you in this article.
How to Change Message Reaction on WhatsApp
1. Open WhatsApp and go to the message whose emoji reaction you want to change.
2. Tap and hold the message and then you'll see the default emoji reactions. The one you've already selected will be highlighted with a circle.
3. You will now select a different emoji that you want to respond to the selected message.
4. If the emoji of your choice isn't available in the default message responses, tap the + (plus) button. This will open a screen where you will find different emojis. Select your favorite and your response to the message will change automatically.
How to delete message reaction on WhatsApp
If you have created a reaction emoji by mistake and you want to remove it completely, then you can follow any of these methods –
Method 1
1. Launch WhatsApp and open Chats.
2. Locate the message whose emoji reaction you want to remove.
3. Press and hold the message.
4. The emoji you've already reacted to will be highlighted. You have to tap on that emoji again and it will be removed from the message reaction.
Method 2
Another way to remove an emoji reaction from a message is to click on the emoji you reacted to and then select Tap to Remove next to your WhatsApp profile picture. These methods apply to both individual and group chats.
How to turn off reaction notifications on WhatsApp
When someone reacts to your message with an emoji, you get a notification on your WhatsApp. If you don't want to be notified of emoji reactions on your messages, you can turn it off in your WhatsApp notification settings. Here's what you have to do -
1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the menu button (three dots) in the top right corner.
2. Click on the Settings option from the menu. If you're on an iPhone, you can go directly to the Settings tab from the bottom menu.
3. Then click on the notifications option.
4. Under Message Notifications, turn off the toggle button that says 'Reaction Notifications'. Note that this will only stop response notifications for individual one-to-one chats.
5. If you want to turn them off for group messages as well, there's a separate setting for that. On the same notification page, you will find a section named Group Notifications. Under this section turn off the toggle button next to the 'Reaction notification' option.
WhatsApp emoji reactions to messages
Few things you need to know about message responses on WhatsApp -
- You can only react to one emoji per message.
- Group messages can have multiple responses from different people. You can click on the emoji set on the particular message to see how others have reacted.
- You can react to disappearing messages but your response will end when the message disappears.
- As of now, there is no option to replace the default six reactions with the emoji of your choice. However, we believe that WhatsApp will add this feature in the near future.
Frequently asked questions
Will the recipient know if you delete the emoji reaction?
WhatsApp will not notify the recipient about the removal of your emoji reaction from the message. However, if the recipient already knows that you have responded to the message before deleting it, you will be caught.
Will the recipient know if you change the emoji response?
The answer to this question is the same as the previous one. If the recipient has already seen your emoji reaction to the change, they'll know about the change.
How to use emoji reactions on WhatsApp Web?
The steps to use message responses on WhatsApp Web are slightly different. You have to hover your cursor over a message and then you will see a small drop-down icon. Simply tap on this icon and select the React to Message option. Now you can select the emoji of your choice which you want to react to the message.
