Learn how to add reactions like emoji, Memoji, Genmoji, stickers or Tapback to your iMessages in the built-in Messages app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
There’s no better way to show someone how you feel about what they’ve said than with some visual, like an emoji reaction or a sticker. To use these and other reactions in Apple’s Messages app, update your iPhone, iPad or Mac to the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.
React to messages with Tapbacks
iPhone and iPad
Open a conversation in the Messages app on an iPhone or iPad, then Double tap or touch and hold a chat bubble to choose a Tapback reaction like a heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, laughter, exclamation points, question mark, or other emoji. Tap the gray emoji icon to use any emoji, sticker, Memoji, or Genmoji as a Tapback reaction.
Change or remove a Tapback reaction
To edit a Tapback reaction, touch it and select another option. To remove a Tapback, tap it and select the same emoji, which will remove the Tapback. You cannot edit or remove Tapbacks added by other people.
See all Tapbacks in a group chat
If multiple people have reacted to a message in a group conversation, tap a reaction and anyone who has reacted will be listed at the top of the chat screen. You can tap a person’s photo to see their name.
Mac
Force-click, Control-click or right-click an iMessage in the Messages app to choose a reaction from the popup. Or, hit the grayed-out emoji icon to choose between a wide range of emoticons.
To remove or edit an emoji, repeat one of the above methods but click the current Tapback to delete or substitute it with another one.
React to messages with stickers
You can add an emoji, Memoji, or Genmoji as a sticker to a text bubble, and change its size, all by way of drag-and-drop. Open a chat within the Messages app and scroll to the text you’d like to react to, then do one of the following:
- Method 1: Touch and hold the chat bubble, choose Add Sticker, and tap a sticker to apply it as a reaction.
- Method 2: Tap the plus button (+) and choose Stickers, then touch and hold a sticker, emoji, Memoji, or Genmoji and drop it on the chat bubble.
- Method 3: Tap the emoji key on the onscreen keyboard, then drag any emoticon over a message to react and let go. This doesn’t work with third-party keyboards like SwiftKey.
Methods 1 or 2 can be tricky; be sure to reposition the emoji so that the gray chat bubble becomes slightly darker before lifting the finger.
Rotate and resize your emoji reaction
When following methods 2 and 3 above, drag the emoji over the chat screen but don’t let go just yet. Instead, put another finger on the screen and move it farther away or closer to the sticker to make it bigger or smaller, similar to pinch-zooming. To rotate the emoji, rotate the second finger. To apply the emoji onto the chat bubble, lift the fingers.
Deleting emoji sticker reactions
To remove an emoji sticker reaction, touch and hold the chat bubble where it appears and choose Sticker Details. Swipe left on an emoji and choose Delete to remove it from the chat bubble. The Sticker Details screen also shows emoji reactions from other people in group chats.
Mac
Open a chat in the Messages app, then click the plus button (+) and choose Stickers. Drag and drop a sticker over a chat bubble to apply it there.
To remove an emoji sticker reaction, carefully right-click the text bubble and choose Sticker Details, then click the tiny x button to delete it.
Difference between Tapbacks and other reactions
Both methods let you react to messages, with these subtle differences.
- You can only add one Tapback to a message. But there is no such limit for other reactions.
- Tapbacks appear at a fixed spot at the top of the chat bubble. Contrast this with sticker reactions, that can be placed in other spots or even over a text, covering it.
- Tapback size is fixed; sticker reactions can be resized and rotated.
Also, check out: 65+ tips and tricks for the Messages app on iPhone and iPad