How to like a text message on Android

Social media has trained us to indicate approval with emojis. A like might be as good as a response in some circumstances on messaging apps like WhatsApp, but can you do the same with simple text messages?

RCS messaging, which stands for Rich Communication Services, has changed the game on this front. Let’s find out how to like a text message on Android.

Can you like a text message on Android?

You can indeed. It wasn’t an option with standard SMS/MMS messages, but the adoption of the RCS messaging standard has made it possible for many Android phones to offer the ability to like a text message.

You’ll need RCS messaging enabled to make it possible to like a text message, as will the sender. Most new Android smartphones are RCS-ready and have it enabled by default. You also need your carrier to support RCS to use it on the standard messaging apps for the likes of the Samsung Galaxy and OnePlus phones. But the majority of carriers worldwide now support RCS, and the Google Messages app, which usually comes preinstalled on Android phones, has eliminated the need for carrier support entirely.

Adding a like or other emoji reaction is just one feature of RCS messaging. It also offers other features you might be familiar with from other messaging apps, such as read receipts and typing indicators.

How to enable RCS on Android

You’re likely to find that RCS messaging is enabled by default on your device. If you want to check, then you can do so very quickly and easily in your messaging app.

The above screenshots show you the steps to take in Google Messages, which may already be on your Android device. The steps are also very similar for the default messaging apps of most Android smartphones. It’s simply a case of accessing the message settings and enabling the chat features option.

When you activate chat features, you’ll notice that the status is then shown as connected.

To understand more about enabling RCS messaging, check out our guide here.

How to like a text message on Android

With chat features enabled, you’re ready to like a message on your Android phone. Here’s how you do it on Google Messages:

1. When viewing your text conversation, tap and hold the message you want to like. This is also known as long-pressing.
2. You’ll see a pop-up menu of possible reactions. Tap the thumbs-up emoji.
3. The emoji will appear below the message. This will also show on the sender’s phone.

It’s as easy as that to like a text message on Android. If you then view your text conversation on an app that doesn’t support RCS messaging, the reaction will show as a separate message from you to the sender. So in the above example, you’ll see a response to the message you liked reading ‘👍 to ‘is 6 pm ok?”

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