Currently, when you open a business listing in Maps, you see its name, quick-action buttons like “Call,” directions at the top, followed by photos. While you can swipe through the photo/video carousel or browse reviews, there’s no way to directly respond to an image. That may soon change.
On my Pixel 9 Pro, opening a listing now displays a prompt to “Press and hold to react” when hovering over photos. A heart, a praying-hands emoji, a fire icon, a "sign language"-style gesture (perhaps for food or restaurants), and a mind-blown expression are the five reaction options that appear when you hold down on an image.
When you tap an emoji, it triggers an animation—like a giant floating heart moving across the screen. The first time you react to an image, a dialog box warns that your reactions will be shared with Google and made publicly visible.
That said, the feature still seems half-baked. On my device, tapping an emoji doesn’t actually tag the photo with a visible reaction, and there’s no persistent indicator showing that you reacted—unless you press and hold again. Unlike Google Messages, where reactions appear directly under the text, reactions in Maps currently don’t show up under photos. The options are also limited to those five emojis, with no ability to customize or expand them.
Google hasn’t officially announced this feature, but it’s likely meant to boost engagement on Maps listings by giving users a lightweight way to leave feedback without writing full reviews.
At the moment, the feature doesn’t seem widely available—I’ve only spotted it working on my Pixel 9 Pro and Oppo Find N5, not on other Android devices or iPhones. Still, given that it’s already in testing, a broader rollout could be just around the corner.
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