In iOS 17, Apple has introduced Messages-like reactions to FaceTime. Rather than being triggered by words though, they can be triggered by gestures.
When you're on a FaceTime video call on an iPhone running iOS 17, you can now trigger on-screen effects like hearts, balloons, confetti, fireworks, and more, with the effects flooding the display over the FaceTime window.
You can trigger these layer screen effects with a long press of your picture in FaceTime which brings up a menu of reaction options, or you can go hands-free and trigger the same reactions simply using physical gestures.
For example, one thumb up triggers a Like, and two thumbs up are attended by Fireworks. Similarly, one thumb down counts as a dislike, and two thumbs down initiates a rain shower.
New FaceTime Reactions
There are eight reactions you can perform on a FaceTime video call. They include:
- Love
- Like
- Dislike
- Balloons
- Stormy rain
- Confetti
- Laser beams
- Fireworks
Gestures to Trigger Reactions
And here are the physical gestures that you can perform to trigger the effects:
- Heart - Heart emoji
- Thumbs up - Thumbs up emoji
- Two thumbs up - Fireworks
- Single thumbs down - Thumbs down emoji
- Two thumbs down - Cloud
- Peace sign with one hand - Balloons
- Peace sign with two hands - Confetti
- "Rock on" sign with two hands - Laser
These reactions work by default in FaceTime, and third-party apps can adopt the effects as well.
