The world of messaging has been shaken up recently by a bug in the Google Messages app that is driving users absolutely crazy. Reports have surfaced that every time a user opens a chat thread where the last message was an image, the emoji reaction panel automatically pops open, interrupting the user experience in a rather frustrating manner.

This issue appears to be primarily affecting those who are part of the beta testing program, specifically those running the beta build version 20250406_01_RC00. For those on more stable versions, such as 20250326_00_RC04, the app behaves normally, leading many to speculate about the underlying cause of the bug. Android Police has reported on this increasingly common issue, and a quick search through Reddit reveals countless users echoing their frustrations, confirming that this is not an isolated incident.

What exacerbates the annoyance is the persistence of the emoji panel; it seems immune to all attempts to close it. Users have reported that force-closing the app does nothing to resolve the problem. Similarly, clearing the app's cache or even rebooting the device fails to eradicate this irritating glitch. No matter what steps users take, the moment they enter an image-based chat, the emoji reaction panel reappears, creating a repetitive cycle of frustration.

While accidentally tapping an emoji may not seem like a monumental problem, the core issue lies in the disruption of the messaging flow. Every time the emoji panel pops up, users are forced to take the extra step of dismissing it before they can continue with their conversation. This unnecessary interruption can significantly slow down communication and distract users from more pressing discussions.

As it stands, the only workaround that users have found is to send or receive another text message in the chat, which temporarily alleviates the problem. This is hardly a sufficient solution and adds to the inconvenience. The root cause of this bug remains unclear; it is uncertain whether this is simply an annoying bug or a peculiar experiment intended to encourage higher usage of emoji reactions among users.

Currently, there is no definitive fix for those experiencing the bug unless they choose to switch back to the stable version of the app. Users are eagerly awaiting clarification from Google regarding the situation. We have reached out to Google for an official statement and will update this article as soon as we receive a response.