What you need to know

• Google Maps is testing emoji reactions for images in business listings.
• Available emojis include heart, pray, fire, tongue-out, and a mind-blown option.
• Tapping an emoji triggers a small animation, but reactions don’t yet appear on images.

Google Maps seems to be testing a new feature that lets users react to images in a listing, similar to how you can currently react to messages in Google Messages.

Currently in Google Maps, when you open a listing you see the listing’s name, options like call and directions at the top, followed by images. You can swipe through the carousel of images and video or look for more in the Reviews section, but there’s no way to react or leave feedback to an image. Google now seems to be testing that.

On my Pixel 9 Pro, opening a listing shows a new “Press and hold to react” overlay on images with reactions above them. Pressing and holding an image shows five reactions above it, which include heart, pray, fire, a side tongue emoji (probably to react to an image of a restaurant), and a mind-blown emoji.

Photo reactions are coming to Google Maps

Tapping an emoji triggers an animation. For example, hitting the heart icon shows a big-sized heart that swirls across the screen. Moreover, when you first leave a reaction to an image, a dialog box informs the user that these emojis will be shared with Google and shown publicly.

However, on my device, tapping an emoji does nothing to the image, and there’s no way to tell if you’ve reacted (unless you tap-and-hold it again), as nothing shows up in the UI.

In Google Messages, if you react to a message, the emoji shows up below it, but emojis don’t appear in Google Maps for now. It’s also worth noting that these are the only five emojis available, and there’s no way currently to add others.

There’s no official word on what the feature is meant to achieve, but Google likely sees reactions as a quick way to boost engagement on Maps listings. The feature would make it easier for users to quickly share feedback on photos without leaving full reviews.

The feature doesn’t appear to be rolling out widely just yet, as I could spot it working only on my Google Pixel 9 Pro and Oppo Find N5, and not on any other Android devices or iPhone. However, since the feature has been spotted, it looks like it could roll out anytime soon.

A popular analyst thinks that one red-hot altcoin has a lot more upside potential after putting up huge gains within weeks.

The pseudonymous analyst known as Altcoin Sherpa tells his 242,900 followers on the social media platform X that layer-1 blockchain Sonic (S) may soon hit $1.

“S is still one of the strongest mid-caps there is right now. People forget this coin went to almost $4 last cycle. [Sonic Founder Andre Cronje] bull posting a lot plus some interesting activity over there. Send it way higher.”

He also predicts that S may soon increase more than 16% of its current value to hit a psychological price level.

“S: insanely nice chart. $1 is destined in my opinion.”

Sonic soared from its $0.359 on February 3rd to $0.8615 at time of writing, a 140% gain.

Next up, the trader says that Bitcoin (BTC) is stuck trading within an enduring range but suggests it may soon break out.

“BTC: this price action will continue to give us loads of false hope and is the definition of chop. (Though, I do think the relative bottom is in for many coins.)”

Bitcoin is trading for $98,175 at time of writing, up 1.7% in the last 24 hours.

The trader also says he is long-term bullish on artificial intelligence (AI)-focused altcoin AI Rig Complex (ARC) and MANTRA DAO (OM), a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform.

“Active longs.

ARC: insane volatility on this one, has potential to go 20% up or down in a day, still long on this…

OM: this is slower trade that is probably going to take several days/weeks to play out and acts as a stablecoin until it goes up 30%. Much more of a safer play for me.”

ARC is trading for $0.24 at time of writing, up 30.1% at time of writing. Meanwhile, OM is trading for $8 at time of writing, up 5.2% on the day.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

Generated Image: Midjourney

The big picture: Apple is said to be revisiting a plan to monetize its Maps app through advertising. According to Bloomberg’s well-connected Mark Gurman, Apple considered baking search ads into Maps years ago but ultimately shelved the idea. The integration would reportedly mirror what Google does with its Maps app, allowing businesses to pay a fee in exchange for being featured more prominently in search results and on the map.

Ideally, when searching for a business like a restaurant in a mapping application, you would want the most relevant results – whether based on relevance or proximity – rather than those that simply pay to appear at the top of the list.

As Gurman highlights, Apple has pushed to make ads a bigger part of its business strategy in recent years. Staples like the Stocks app and Apple News now include advertising, and Apple has also prioritized ads with regard to its push into live sports.

Sources told Gurman that during a recent all-hands meeting with the Maps team, Apple executives said monetizing Maps is something they are once again considering. Work on the effort hasn’t started and there is no timetable for a consumer rollout, but the possibility certainly exists.

Google already engages in this practice, but they are not the only ones. Others that play in the same or related space including Waze and Yelp also utilize paid search promotion.

It is a bit surprising that Apple is contemplating the move, especially considering its recent performance. Cupertino reported a record holiday quarter with revenue of $124.3 billion despite a small dip in iPhone earnings.

In fact, the services division, which includes things like App Store purchases, subscriptions, AppleCare, and more, reached a new all-time high of $26.3 billion – up from $23.1 billion during the same period a year earlier. Apple CFO Kevan Parekh said the division is accretive to the overall company margin.

Shares in Apple are up 1.27 percent as of writing, trading hands at $244.60.

Image credit: Card Mapr