Soon Android users will no longer have to see those weird emoji-displaying messages from their iPhone friends.
A report from 9to5Google shows that Google has begun rolling out a feature for Messages called “Tapbacks” that can translate iMessage messages into emojis. 9to5Google first discovered this experimental feature in a deep dive of the Google Messages beta app last year.
It’s unclear when this feature will roll out in the stable version, but users who are using the beta app of Google Messages should receive an update with the feature soon.
Currently, when an iPhone user reacts to a message sent from an Android, the recipient receives a text explaining the symbol. However, the explanation can make the thread a bit messy and confusing. With the new update, Android users will receive alternative emojis, although 9to5Google notes that they are not exact translations of actual reactions.
For example, the “heart” response produces the “face with heart eyes” emoji, while the exclamation point response sends the recipient the “face with open mouth” emoji. When the user taps the emoji, a note pops up explaining that it’s “Translated from iPhone,” along with the sender’s name.
This feature is on by default, but you can turn it off if you want by going to the advanced settings in Messages settings and turning off ‘Show iPhone reactions as emoji’.
