Google Docs is getting support for emoji reactions, allowing you to respond to text with a simple symbol rather than a fully written comment. In an announcement post, the company says the feature supports all the emoji available in the latest release, which includes gender-neutral options and sillier symbols like melting face and biting lip.
A gif released by Google shows how the emoji reaction feature will appear as a third option alongside “Add Comment” and “Suggest Edits” when you highlight text. You can also type to search the emoji catalog. Google says these responses provide “a less formal alternative to comments.”
Emoji reactions have become a staple of modern software, and are available in numerous messaging apps (iMessage, Facebook Messenger), and social networks (Facebook, and Twitter as part of a limited test). Emoji reactions are coming to Google Docs as the service is undergoing a big overhaul and expanding from being a word processor into more of a a remote working collaboration tool.
Other new Google Docs features announced recently include markdown support, a new pageless layout, and the ability to seamlessly draft emails from a document.
Google says emoji reactions will be on by default and cannot be disabled. They’re rolling out now for rapid release domains, but will come to most Google Docs users after April 20th. They’ll be available for “Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus” subscribers, but not more basic tiers like Enterprise Essentials.