Have you ever picked a place to eat because of an irresistibly juicy burger or a jiggly souffle pancake you saw on Google Maps? Or maybe you found an accessible attraction in a new area thanks to a review with lots of helpful details?
Since we announced emoji reactions on Google Maps in November, it’s been easier to show appreciation for great content! Press and hold the heart button on a photo, video, or review to select one of five animated emojis: 
, 
, 
, 
, and 
. Reacting to some photos and videos will also prompt a unique mashup — powered by Emoji Kitchen — to appear on your screen.
Ahead of World Emoji Day on July 17, we had a chat with the team behind this feature, Designer Ming and Product Manager Xiaoyu, to learn more about how it came to be and what Local Guides can expect. Read on for some behind-the-scenes insights into emoji reactions in Google Maps, driven by questions from our community.
What led to the development of this feature? -asked @AdamGT from Australia
Ming: We’ve heard from the Local Guides community that you want to know when your contributions have made a difference. This feature helps you see how your photos, videos, and reviews are helping others discover great places.
In which cases do the five cute emojis merge with the images? Does it work only for food, or can they appear for other types of objects, like a museum or a forest? *-*asked @Cecilita from Argentina
Ming: I’m glad you like the Emoji Kitchen mashups! When you react to something on Maps (like that for amazing ramen above!), we analyze the image to understand its content. For certain topics, we’ll combine your emoji with the content of the photo or video to create a fun mashup. Currently, the majority of topics that generate a unique reaction are food and drink related, but we are actively working to expand the coverage while maintaining quality.
Why has Google not included negative reaction emojis? *-*asked @Cecilita from Argentina
Xiaoyu: We want Google Maps to be a place where people feel welcome to share authentic experiences. These reactions are intended to encourage contributors and allow the community to express their appreciation. If you ever encounter content that seems inappropriate or violates our policies, the best thing to do is report it.
Will we get updates on what reactions we get the most or what contributions get more reactions?- asked @SholaIB from Nigeria
Xiaoyu: You’ll start to see updates on reactions in addition to views, so you get a more holistic picture of how your content is helping others — not just how many people saw it, but how many people were moved to express gratitude.
One of the requirements for the Expert Reviewer and Master Reviewer badges used to be likes on our reviews. Will these reactions be counted?- asked @SholaIB from Nigeria
Xiaoyu: Absolutely! Reactions fulfill the “likes” requirement for the Reviewer badges. It doesn’t matter which emoji you receive — they all count equally.
Local Guides, have you already tried this feature? What do you think? Let us know below!
