How to React to Instagram Messages? All You Need to Know About IG Reactions

| Updated on February 29, 2024

When you learned about the Instagram Reaction feature for the first time, you must have thought about how do you react to Instagram messages. Though the feature might be simple and easy to implement, it has a deep-rooted impact, like when you block or unblock someone on Instagram. These types of features help you convey your feelings appropriately while conversing over the app.

Message responses are a convenient way to acknowledge or respond to other people’s messages on Instagram without having to type them out. While they may not always be able to substitute for full-blown replies, they can be useful when you don’t have the opportunity or energy to respond right away.

So, if you want to know how to react to Instagram messages, go through the write-up below. Further, from the article, you will also learn how you can customize the reaction emoji panel to your liking, change the default heart icon on double-tapping, and much more. Thus, without wasting much time, let’s jump right into it.

How to React to Messages on Instagram on Android & iPhone?

If you want to know how to react to messages on Instagram, then this is the section for you! There is no rocket science in doing so; you would be easily able to react to a message by going through a simple process.

So, if you want to know how to react to IG messages, follow the steps given below:

  1. Open the Instagram app on your device.
  1. Now, open the chats section of your Instagram app, and open any conversation.
    Open-your-chats
  1. Find the message to which you want to react and long-press on it.
  1. This will open the emoji panel, from where you can select the emoji to react to. 
    Select the emoji.
  1. If you can’t see the appropriate emoji in the small panel, tap on the + icon.
    Tap on the + icon.
  1. This will expand the emojis panel, and now you can react using the appropriate one by tapping on it.
    Send your reaction.

When you tap the emoji, it is immediately posted in the chat as a reaction to the Instagram messages. If you are unable to locate a specific emoji, simply utilize the search option to locate the emoji of your choice from the expanded emoji panel. 

How to React to Instagram Messages on Windows & Mac?

From the above section, you now know how to react to Instagram messages on Android and iPhone.

But what if you prefer to use Instagram on a big screen of your Windows or Mac? Well, in that case also, you can learn how to react to Instagram DM when using it on the browser of your system. And given below are the steps for the same:

  1. Log in to your Instagram account using your browser on your Windows or Mac.
  1. Select the chat by clicking Messages in the sidebar.
  1. Navigate to the message you wish to respond to and click the emoji symbol next to it.
  1. Choose the emoji that you wish to send.

Further, if you want to respond to the message using a heart, double-click the message. 

Though reactions on Instagram are a great feature on their own, you can even super react to a message. This feature animates your reaction and looks a lot better. In order to know more about how to react to messages on IG in this manner, go through the next section.

Notes

You can’t adjust the double-tap action for Instagram messages or tweak the emoji panel on a PC, the options which you can do on the IG mobile app (you will learn about them in the coming sections of the article). As a result, the same old heart will be sent on double-clicking and the emoji panel will remain the default one.

How to Animate Your Reaction on Instagram?

Many people may not know this, but you can animate the chosen emoji you use to react in Instagram messages to convey your feelings more thoroughly. So, if you want to know how to react to a message on Instagram using Supper React, here’s what you need to do:

  1. Begin by launching the Instagram app and pulling up the chat in which you want to react.
  1. Now, simply long-press the message to which you want to react to bring up the emoji panel to Super React. 
    Select the emoji.
  1. Simply tap and hold the emoji you wish to animate in this chat. 
    Send an animated reaction.

And with just that, your animated reaction will be sent, and you now know how to react to messages on IG using Super React.

Replace the Default Heart Emoji on Instagram

You may already know that by double tapping on a message, it is marked with a heart emoji by default. However, what you may not know is that you can change this emoji to your liking. So, if you want to know how to laugh react on Instagram or want to use any other emoji by double tapping on a message, here’s what you need to do:

  1. To begin with, open the Instagram app and pull up the chat in which you want to react.
  1. Then, open the emoji panel by long pressing on the message, and tap on the + icon.
    Tap on the + icon.
  1. Then, select the Customize option from the emoji window’s top-right corner.
    Select Customize.
  1. Next, choose the heart emoji from the panel, and select the replacement emoji.
    Change the emoji.
  1. Finally, press Done (if you are using iPhone) or Checkmark (if you are using Android) to confirm the change.
    Tap on the checkmark.

When you double-tap a message instead of a heart, the new emoji reaction will be delivered.

Customize Instagram Reaction Emoji Panel to your Preferences

On the small emoji panel that pulls up when you long-press the message, you see some default emojis. You may not use them all the time and have to open the whole emoji panel, but you can replace the emojis in that small panel with the ones that you mostly use, thus customizing it.

So, if you want to know how to react to IG messages with your customized emoji panel, listed below is what you can do:

  1. First off, open the Instagram app and pull up the chat in which you want to react.
  1. Then, open the emoji panel by long pressing on the message, and tap on the + icon.
    Tap on the + icon.
  1. Then, select the Customize option from the emoji window’s top-right corner.
    Select Customize.
  1. Next, choose the emoji you wish to replace, and select the replacement emoji.
  1. Finally, press Done (if you are using iPhone) or Checkmark (if you are using Android) to confirm the change.
    Tap on the checkmark.

In order to replace other emojis, repeat the same process. And once you have customized your emoji panel, you may instantly respond to messages with the newly added emoji from the panel. Follow the steps given above to know how to react to IG DMs.

How to Reset the Emoji Panel?

Don’t like the adjustments you made and want to go back to Instagram’s default emoji panel? Well, you can also do that. Listed further are the steps for the same:

  1. To begin with, launch the Instagram app and open up any chat.
  1. Then, open the emoji panel by long pressing on any message.
  1. Tap on the + icon to expand the emoji panel.
  1. Next, select Customize.
  1. Finally, hit the Reset option from the top-left corner, and then tap Done or Checkmark.
    Tap on Reset

With this, your emoji panel will be set to Instagram’s default one.

How to Remove the Reaction Emoji?

Have you ever sent the wrong emoji reply or reacted to the wrong message by mistake? Fortunately, you can reverse the action.

If, in the excitement of knowing how to react to IG DMs and experimenting with the knowledge, you have reacted wrongly to the wrong message, then listed below is how you can reverse it:

On Your Mobile Application:

  1. Open the Instagram message to which you responded incorrectly.
  1. Then, tap the emoji reply.
  1. And, then select the Tap to Remove option.
     Select Tap to Remove.

On Instagram Website on Computer:

  1. Log into your Instagram account on your browser.
  1. Then, navigate to the message you have wrongly responded to. 
  1. At last, click the emoji reaction, then click on the Select to Remove option.
    Click on Select to Remove.

Sources

Kasey Dunn, 2 Easy Ways to React to Messages on Instagram, WikiHow, December 10, 2022.


Janvi Panthri

Senior Writer, Editor


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