FAQ on the New Zoom Reactions

Zoom Reactions were recently updated, providing a more consistent user experience and making the Reactions button easier to find. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions to help you navigate the newer Zoom Reactions:

Why do some reactions disappear and others persist?

The six emojis, Applause, Thumbs up, Heart, Joy, Open Mouth and Tada are intended as fleeting responses. They will appear by your image for about 10 seconds and disappear on their own.

The other reactions, Yes, No, Slower, Faster and Raise Hand, are requests to the Host or current speaker to do something. They will not disappear on their own, and the Participant with the request can select the Reaction again to make it go away.

Can a Host or Co-host also make a Participant request disappear?

Both the Host and the Co-host can lower a Raised Hand in the Participant panel. According to some Zoom documentation, the Host and Co-host can also close Yes, No, Slower and Faster requests, but I have not seen that this works consistently.

This seems straightforward, but some Participants are reporting problems

The most common barrier to everyone having a consistent experience with Reactions is not updating Zoom. Participants using an older version may see the Reactions button in a different place or may have a different experience with how they function. The best practice is to update Zoom frequently.

Zoom eliminated Reactions I liked. Are there alternatives?

A very simple poll can replace the Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down dichotomy. Here are two options to replace the Break / Coffee Cup emoji:

• Turn off your camera, mute your microphone, and add something like “BRB” to your name.
• Excuse yourself, leave the meeting, and rejoin when you can. If you are the Host, you must first assign a new Host though, otherwise you will end the meeting for everyone.