- Reactions aren’t available in meetings with Client-side Encryption. Learn about Meet Client-side Encryption (CSE) .
- Apple device users may unintentionally prompt reactions due to an update. Learn more .
- Give meaningful feedback to hosts and speakers.
- Allow participants to give quick responses to content and reduce awkward pauses or disruptions.
- Identify how attendees feel and show which moments in the meeting participants like best or least.
Use Reactions in Workspace or Enterprise accounts
- Reactions is on by default, unless disabled by the admin or host.
- Admins and hosts can turn Reactions off.
- When admins or hosts turn off Reactions, the icon is still visible but not clickable. When you hover on the panel, a message displays that reactions aren’t available.
- Admin:Under “Admin control settings,” you can turn Reactions on or off for all participants. Learn how to manage Meet settings for admins .
- Host:You can also turn Reactions on or off for that specific call.
Turn off Reactions for all participants in the call
- At the bottom right, click Host controls
.
- On the side, under “Meeting moderation,” turn on Host management.
- Turn off Send reactions.
Why am I seeing Reactions when I didn't click anything?
If you're using a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, your device may have Apple Reactions turned on by default on iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma. When Reactions are turned on, emoji can appear on a video call when the participant uses a qualifying hand gesture in front of the camera.
To turn this feature on or off:
- During a video call or meeting, open the Control Center of your device ( Mac
, iPhone
, iPad
).
- On an iPhone or iPad, swipe down from the top-right edge.
- On a Mac, select the Video icon in the Mac menu bar.
- Open the Video Effectsmenu
Select Reactions.
Why am I getting a “Turn On Reactions” pop-up on my Mac device?
This is a known issue that affects macOS devices and we are investigating a fix. To close the pop-up, click X.
Send reactions during a meeting
Important:A host can move a viewer into a contributor and back to a viewer while on Web or when using Picture-in-Picture mode on the computer.
- As a temporary badge in the upper left corner of the sender’s tile.
- They scroll up from the bottom left side of the screen.
- Join a Meet video meeting.
- At the bottom, click Send a reaction. The reaction panel opens.
- Select a Reaction you want to send.
- To select an emoji from a wider range:
- If available, select More emojis
.
- If available, select More emojis
- To select an emoji from a wider range:
Tip:To close the reaction panel, click Send a reaction.
Learn about the extended emoji Reaction set
Important:The extended emoji set for reactions is available for the following Google Workspace editions:- Business Standard
- Business Plus
- Enterprise Standard
- Enterprise Plus
You can use many different emojis to react throughout a meeting.
- The full emoji set is on by default for all eligible editions, unless an administrator or host disables it.
- Administrators and hosts can turn off the full set of emoji reactions.
- When administrators or hosts turn off the full emoji set:
- The extended emoji reactions icon disappears.
- This disables the feature for everyone on the call.
- To turn off the full emoji set, the Administrators use the Admin control settings .
- Hosts can also turn the full emoji set on or off for a specific meeting.
Turn the full emoji set on or off as a host
- At the bottom right, select Host controls
.
- On the right, under “Meeting moderation,” turn on Host management.
- Under “Send reactions,” check or uncheck the box next to “Use the full set of emoji reactions.”
Choose a skin tone for your Reactions in Meet
- Hover over a reaction to bring up the skin tone picker next to the panel.
- Select your emoji’s skin tone.
Choose a skin tone & gender for your extended emoji Reactions in Meet
- Open the extended emoji set.
- For an emoji that comes in different variants, at the bottom right corner of the emoji, click on the Glyph
.
- Select your emoji’s:
- Skin tone
- Gender
Tip:You can’t change skin tone or gender for some emojis.
Group similar reactions by multiple participants with emoji balloons
Change Reactions in Meet settings
- Get reactions from others
- Set animations
- Set notification sounds
- Click More options
Settings
Reactions.
- Turn on or off the setting you want to adjust.
Adjust announce reactions with a screen reader
Select how you want to hear reactions:
- Click More options
Settings
Reactions.
- Click the drop down arrow.
- Select one of these options:
- Don't announce reactions
- Play a sound for all reactions
- Announce all reactions
- Announce all reactions with senders
Tip:To quickly adjust the setting without going to the Meet settings, press Shift+ r.

