How to React With a Genmoji on iPhone (Custom Tapbacks in Messages)
For years a reaction in Messages meant one of six gray icons: a heart, a thumb, a "Ha Ha". Now a reaction can be any emoji, any sticker, or a Genmoji you invent for that exact message, so the reply to "I got the job" can be a raccoon holding a trophy instead of a thumbs up. The feature is easy to miss, because the new options sit behind a small button at the end of the reaction bar. This guide shows where it is, how to react with a Genmoji you have already made or create one on the spot, how to change or remove a reaction, and what the other person sees.
The short version
- Touch and hold a message to open the Tapback bar, then tap the emoji button at the end of the row.
- Pick any emoji, sticker, or saved Genmoji. It attaches to the corner of the bubble as your reaction.
- To make a new one, tap the Genmoji button in the emoji keyboard, describe it, and add it. It is used as the reaction and saved for later.
- To change or remove it, touch and hold the message again and tap a different reaction, or tap yours to take it off.
- Creating Genmoji needs an iPhone with Apple Intelligence. Reacting with stickers works on far more iPhones.
- In chats with Android phones, stay with standard emoji reactions.
How to react with any emoji
- In Messages, touch and hold the message bubble, or double-tap it.
- The Tapback bar appears above the message with the classic reactions and a few suggested emoji. Swipe along it to see more.
- Tap the emoji button at the end of the row. The emoji keyboard opens.
- Tap an emoji. It appears on the corner of the bubble.
Several people can react to the same message with different emoji, and they stack on the corner. Tap the stack to see who sent which.
How to react with a Genmoji you already made
- Touch and hold the message and tap the emoji button in the Tapback bar.
- In the emoji keyboard, go to the sticker section, where your saved Genmoji and stickers are.
- Tap the Genmoji. It becomes your reaction.
If you are not sure where your earlier creations went, where Genmoji are saved on iPhone covers the sticker section, including how to move favorites to the front so they are one tap away here.
How to create a Genmoji as a reaction
- Touch and hold the message and tap the emoji button.
- In the emoji keyboard, tap the Genmoji button, or type a description in the emoji search field and choose to create a new emoji.
- Describe the reaction, for example "raccoon holding a gold trophy". Swipe through the results.
- Tap Add. The Genmoji is attached to the message and saved to your stickers.
A reaction is shown small, so simple ideas read best: one subject, one object, strong colors. Fine detail and text inside the image disappear at that size.
No Genmoji button? That needs a supported iPhone with Apple Intelligence turned on and its download finished. The checks are in how to get Genmoji on iPhone.
Change, remove, or see a reaction
- Change it: touch and hold the message and choose a different reaction. You have one reaction per message, so the new one replaces the old.
- Remove it: touch and hold the message and tap the reaction you used. It is taken off the bubble.
- See who reacted: tap the reactions on the bubble.
- Keep someone else's: a Genmoji another person used can be added to your own stickers from its details screen.
What the other person sees
| They have | Standard emoji reaction | Genmoji or sticker reaction |
|---|---|---|
| An iPhone on a recent iOS version | The emoji on the bubble | The Genmoji on the bubble |
| An iPhone on an older iOS version | May arrive as a line of text describing the reaction | May arrive as a separate image or a line of text |
| An Android phone | Usually an emoji reaction, when both sides use RCS | Not reliable; often a separate image or text |
The reason is the same as for Genmoji in general: it is a picture, not a character, so only Apple's Messages knows how to pin it to a bubble. In a group chat with one Android phone or one old iPhone, a custom reaction can turn into an extra message for that person. A standard emoji is the considerate choice there. More on this in can Android users see Genmoji.
Custom reactions without Genmoji
The reaction picker accepts stickers as well as emoji, and stickers do not need Apple Intelligence. That opens custom reactions to iPhones that will never get Genmoji.
Pixmoji makes those stickers on any iPhone with iOS 15 or later:
- Choose Text to Emoji and describe the reaction you want, style words included, or choose Image to Emoji and start from a photo of a face or a pet.
- Save the ones you like. They appear with your stickers in Messages.
- On recent iOS versions, pick them from the sticker section when you react to a message. On any version, you can drag a sticker from the drawer onto a bubble.
A small set of reactions you actually use beats a long list: a yes, a no, a laugh, a "on my way", and two inside jokes. How to add custom emojis and stickers to iMessage covers the sticker drawer, and how to make a sticker pack for your group chat has ideas for a shared set.
Quick answers
How do I react to a message with a Genmoji?
Touch and hold the message, tap the emoji button at the end of the Tapback bar, and pick a Genmoji from the sticker section of the emoji keyboard, or create a new one there.
Can I use any emoji as a Tapback?
Yes, on recent iOS versions. The Tapback bar has an emoji button that opens the full emoji keyboard, in addition to the classic reactions.
Can I react with a sticker?
Yes. The same picker shows your stickers, including ones lifted from photos and ones made in sticker apps.
How do I remove a reaction in Messages?
Touch and hold the message and tap the reaction you used. To change it, tap a different one.
Why can't I create a Genmoji reaction?
Creating Genmoji needs an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, with it turned on and downloaded. Without it you can still react with emoji and stickers.
Do Android users see Genmoji reactions?
Not reliably. They may get a separate image or a line of text. Use a standard emoji when someone in the chat is on Android.
Can I use more than one reaction on a message?
No. Each person has one reaction per message. Picking a new one replaces the old.
A reaction that fits the message
Touch and hold, tap the emoji button, and choose something better than a thumbs up. For custom reactions on any iPhone, download Pixmoji, free to download, and make the set your chats have been missing.