Now anyone can 'double tap to heart' in Google Messages

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

TL; DR

Google Messages is introducing a new ‘double tap to heart’ gesture to respond to messages, similar to Instagram’s ‘like’ feature.
The feature is activated via a server-side update, so users don’t need to update their Messages app to access it.
Currently, the only reaction available is a heart emoji, and there is no option to customize or select other emojis, although this may change in the future.

Google Messages is making its Instagram-like ‘double tap to heart’ gesture more widely available. First spotted in February in a beta state, the feature now appears to be rolling out to all Google Messages users.

9to5Google reports that the “Double tap to the heart” gesture is arriving on Google Messages via a server-side update. That means you don’t have to install an app update to get the response working. Once the update is available in your Google Messages app, you can double-tap to respond to chats instead of long-pressing on a message to access the emoji reactions. This feature is similar to how you ‘like’ posts on Instagram.

Adamya Sharma / Android Authority

Unfortunately, the only reaction available at the moment is a heart emoji. You don’t have the option to set a different emoji as the default response. The version of the feature that Google tested months ago allowed users to double-tap and then choose the emoji they wanted to respond with. It’s possible that Google will give users the option to switch emoji for the gesture in the future, but for now you’re stuck with the red heart