Yes, WhatsApp sends you a notification when someone reacts to your message. Here are the key things to know about getting notified of reactions on WhatsApp:
You get notified of all reactions to your messages
WhatsApp will send you a notification banner or badge icon whenever any reaction is added to a message you sent. This includes if someone reacts with a thumbs up, heart, laugh, surprised face, sad face, or angry face emoji.
So if you send a message in a group chat or individual chat, you’ll be notified if anyone reacts to it later on. The notification won’t specify which reaction was used – just that your message was reacted to.
Notification comes immediately after reaction
The notification comes through right after someone reacts to your message. There is no delay in WhatsApp sending the notification to you.
So if you’re in a chat window, you’ll see the reaction notification come through in real-time as people react. If you’re outside the chat, you’ll get notified right away.
You can turn off notifications for reactions
If you don’t want to be notified when someone reacts to your messages, you can disable reaction notifications in WhatsApp.
On an iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp and turn off “Reactions.” On Android, go to WhatsApp Settings > Notifications > Reactions.
This will mute all reaction notifications so you don’t get alerted when people react to your messages. You can still see the reactions when you open the chat.
Notification shows in banner and badge icon
The notification that someone reacted to your message shows up in two places:
- A banner notification at the top of your screen (on iOS) or in the notification shade (on Android).
- A badge icon on the WhatsApp app icon showing the number of unread reactions.
So you get a clear visual indication when your messages have new reactions on them. Tapping the notification will open WhatsApp and take you to the message with reactions.
Reactions only notify the sender
When reacting to a message, only the original sender gets notified. Other people in the chat do not get reaction notifications.
So if you react to a message sent by someone else, only they will be alerted of your reaction. You and other chat participants will not be notified.
Special case: Groups
The one exception is in group chats. When you react to a message in a group, the original sender gets notified plus everyone else who has react notifications turned on for that group.
So reactions in groups can generate more notifications as both the sender and other active chat members may get notified.
No notification if Do Not Disturb is on
You will not get reaction notifications if you have Do Not Disturb enabled on your device. This mutes all notifications while DND mode is active.
So if someone reacts to your message while DND is on, you will not be alerted. The notification will come through once you turn off DND.
Conclusion
In summary, WhatsApp always sends a notification when any reaction is added to a message you sent in an individual or group chat. The notification comes through right away in a banner and with a badge icon. You can disable reaction notifications but will still see the reactions in chat.
Reaction notifications only go to the original sender, except in group chats where everyone gets notified. And they can be muted with Do Not Disturb mode turned on.
So reactions provide a way for people to give quick visual feedback on your messages while keeping you notified. Just customize notification settings if you want to limit reaction alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you get notified of reactions when you are mentioned?
No, you will not get a notification if someone reacts to a message in which you are mentioned but did not send. Only the original sender of a message gets notified when it is reacted to.
Can you turn off notifications for some reactions but not others?
No, WhatsApp does not allow you to disable notifications for specific reaction emojis. You can either get notifications for all new reactions, or turn off notifications for all reactions.
Do deleted messages still show reactions and notify the sender?
Yes, if a message is deleted by the sender or a group admin, any existing reactions will remain visible and continue to notify the original sender of the message.
Do you get notified of your own reactions to messages?
No, WhatsApp does not send a notification when you react to your own message. You only get notified when other people react to your messages.
Can you mute notifications from specific people reacting?
There is no way to prevent notifications from certain people’s reactions. Your options are to either receive notifications for all reactions or mute all reaction notifications.