Glossary
Message Reactions
Message reactions are emoji responses attached to a specific message, letting participants acknowledge, agree or respond emotionally without sending a separate reply that adds noise to the conversation.
General definition
Message reactions, sometimes called emoji reactions or message emoji, allow any participant to tap or click an emoji and attach it as a response to a specific message. A reaction counter increments each time another user adds the same emoji, so the message shows a compact summary of who reacted and how.
- One or more emoji per message, each with a count of users who added it
- Real-time updates: other participants see new reactions without refreshing
- A user can remove their own reaction to toggle it off
- Hovering or tapping the counter reveals exactly who reacted with each emoji
Reactions reduce reply noise in busy rooms. A simple thumbs-up reaction replaces a one-word “OK” reply that would otherwise push earlier messages out of view. They are also used as lightweight polls, status signals (for example, a checkmark emoji to confirm a task is done) and engagement signals in community and social products.
In the Ethora ecosystem
Message reactions are included in the Ethora Chat SDK. Users can add and remove emoji reactions from any message, reaction counts update in real time for all room participants, and the full reaction history persists across sessions. The feature works on web, iOS and Android without additional configuration.
The reaction data is exposed via the API, so product teams can use it for analytics (for example, tracking which announcements get the most acknowledgements) or trigger workflows when a specific emoji is used in a channel.
