Facebook reactions allow users to quickly react to posts and comments with emojis representing different emotions. The default reactions on Facebook are Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry. However, Facebook has introduced additional reactions that users can unlock to have more options for reacting to content.
What are the extra reactions available on Facebook?
In addition to the default reactions, Facebook offers the following extra reactions that users can unlock:
- Care
- Haha
- Yay
- Wow
- Sad
- Angry
- Thankful
- Pride
- Sorry
- Friendship
These extra reactions allow you to react to posts and comments with more nuanced emotions beyond just “liking” something. The Care reaction can show empathy or concern, while Thankful and Pride allow you to react positively to uplifting content. Meanwhile, Friendship underscores companionship, and Sorry offers an apologetic response.
Why do I want extra reactions?
Here are some reasons why you may want to unlock the extra reactions on Facebook:
- Express a wider range of emotions – The extra reactions give you more ways to share nuanced emotions beyond Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry.
- Emphasize support – Reactions like Care, Thankful, and Pride let you show amplified appreciation and support.
- Convey sentiments more accurately – You can find a reaction that better matches what you want to convey.
- Trendy and fun to use – The extra reactions are new and trendy, making reacting to posts more engaging.
- Personalize interactions – Having more reactions allows you to interact in a more personal, expressive way.
How do I unlock the extra reactions on Facebook?
Here are the steps to unlock and start using the extra reactions on Facebook:
- Log into your Facebook account on your mobile device.
- Go to any post or comment that already has reactions.
- Tap and hold on the ‘Like’ reaction below the post/comment.
- This will open up the reactions tray. At the end of the default reactions, you should see a button saying ‘See More’.
- Tap on ‘See More’ to open the full list of Reactions.
- Scroll through the list and tap on the reactions you want to unlock.
- The reactions you select will now be unlocked and available for you to use.
Once unlocked, you can start reacting to any posts or comments with your newfound reactions! The unlocked reactions will also appear at the end of the reactions tray when you tap and hold on Like.
Where can I use the extra reactions?
You can use the unlocked extra reactions in the same places where standard reactions are available on Facebook:
- News feed posts
- Photos and videos
- Page posts
- Friends’ posts
- Group posts
- Event posts
- Adverts
- Stories
- Marketplace listings
- Comments on posts
So wherever you see posts and comments that you can react to on Facebook, you will be able to use your full range of reactions, including the unlocked ones.
Can I change or re-order my reactions?
Yes, you can edit your unlocked reactions or rearrange their order at any time. Here’s how:
- Tap and hold on the Like button to open the reactions tray.
- Tap ‘See More’ at the end of the reactions.
- This opens the full list of reactions.
- To remove a reaction, tap on the checkmark icon next to it.
- To add a new reaction, tap on the empty checkmark icon next to it.
- To reorder your reactions, press and hold on a reaction, then drag it to the desired position.
- Once done editing, tap ‘Done’ to save.
Your updated reaction preferences will now be applied across Facebook. You can come back and edit your reactions again at any time in the same way.
What happens when I use an extra reaction?
When you react to a post with one of the extra unlocked reactions, here is what happens:
- The reaction emoji you selected will appear below the post or comment.
- Your reacting profile picture and name will display next to the emoji reaction, just like standard reactions.
- The reaction will be counted next to the post. If 10 people reacted with Friendship, it will show ’10’.
- Other people who have unlocked the reaction will see the specific emoji you reacted with.
- People who haven’t unlocked that reaction will just see ‘Love’ as a generic reaction.
So your reactions with unlocked emojis will be visible across Facebook, though the specific emoji will only be seen by those who have also unlocked that reaction.
Can I see who reacted with which emoji?
When viewing reactions on a post, you can see which of your friends reacted with which specific emoji by doing the following:
- Tap on the reactions counter below a post – for example, ’25 Reactions’.
- This will open a list of all reaction emojis used on that post by your friends.
- Tap on a specific emoji reaction.
- This will show a list of friends who reacted with that emoji.
So this lets you see precisely which reactions your friends used, as long as you’ve also unlocked that emoji. Those who haven’t unlocked an emoji will simply show up under the ‘Love’ reaction.
How are extra reactions useful?
Here are some of the useful ways you can use the extra reactions on Facebook:
- Express a wider range of feelings – React more accurately conveying your emotions.
- Give supportive feedback – Thankful, Pride, and Friendship show extra appreciation.
- Apologize or empathize – Sorry and Care let you express remorse or sympathy.
- Personalize responses – Make mundane interactions, like reacting, more expressive.
- Understand sentiments – See nuanced reactions from friends to gauge their feelings.
- Discover reaction trends – See the most commonly used reactions on posts and pages.
Overall, the extra reactions make interacting on Facebook posts significantly more expressive, nuanced, and personal. They help you better convey emotions, provide enhanced support, and get a better sense of how your friends are reacting to content.
Are there any limitations to extra reactions?
The extra reactions have the following limitations on Facebook currently:
- Only available on mobile devices – You can’t unlock or use extra reactions on the Facebook website.
- Limited number of reactions – There are only 10 extra reactions available beyond the default 6.
- Must unlock each time – Reactions don’t carry over across devices and need to be unlocked again.
- Visible to some – Reactions appear as ‘Love’ to friends who haven’t unlocked that emoji.
- No notifications – You don’t get notified when someone uses an extra reaction on your post.
Hopefully Facebook will streamline the process for unlocking extra reactions and expand the available reactions in the future.
Why can’t I see extra reactions on desktop?
Unfortunately, the extra reactions beyond the default ones are currently only available on the Facebook mobile apps for iOS and Android. They have not yet been implemented on the desktop website version of Facebook.
This is likely because the mobile apps allow tapping and holding on reactions to bring up the reaction tray, making it easy to unlock extra reactions. This gesture does not exist on desktop browsers.
Hopefully Facebook will find a way to allow users to access and use extra reactions through the desktop website soon. But for now, you need to be on your phone to unlock and view additional reactions.
How do I request new reactions from Facebook?
If you want to request that Facebook adds new reactions beyond the current ones available, you can do so by providing feedback directly to Facebook. Here are a couple ways to do that:
- Go to the Facebook Community Help Center page and click the ‘Give Feedback’ button. Then provide suggestions for new reactions you’d like to see.
- Post feedback requesting new reactions by writing a post on Facebook’s Public Content Solutions page.
- Tweet feedback or suggestions to @Facebook or find the official Facebook account on platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn and comment there.
- Look up the Facebook company contact information and see if you can email, call, or mail them suggestions directly.
The more direct feedback Facebook receives from users about wanting additional reactions, the more likely they are to expand the reaction options available on their platform.
Conclusion
Unlocking extra reactions on Facebook allows you to interact with posts in a much more expressive and nuanced way. The wider range of emoji reactions enables you to convey emotions like empathy, gratitude, pride, apology, and friendship. While limited to mobile for now, the extra reactions make reacting to Facebook content a richer and more engaging experience.
Hopefully this guide has helped explain how you can unlock and start using the bonus reactions available on Facebook currently. The process is quick and easy – simply update your reactions tray from any post or comment. So try it out and have fun reacting to content across Facebook with your newfound diverse emoji!