Threads is now testing a feature that turns the standard like button into something personal. Users in this test can attach a custom emoji, sticker, or GIF to their profile. That reaction then shows up whenever they tap like on any post across the app. Currently, this test runs across both South Korea and Brazil, and across Indonesia as well.
Threads Chief Connor Hayes confirmed this test and framed it as part of a wider push toward expression. However, he has not yet shared a global rollout date. So, users beyond these three markets will still have to wait. In fact, this test suggests that Meta is now actively exploring how to set Threads apart from both Instagram and X.
Unlike reactions on Facebook or Instagram, this custom like ties to the user rather than to the post. Once someone picks a reaction, that same animation then appears on every like across all of their activity. Yet users cannot swap between different reactions on different posts, since the choice sits at the profile level and not at the post level.
For both brands and creators, this adds a new layer of identity. A clothing label could pin a seasonal GIF during a product launch, while a comedian could pick an animated sticker that fits their style. Moreover, this could lift engagement, because people may tap like more often just to see what others have picked.
This move comes as Threads keeps adding features to pull ahead of rivals like X and Bluesky. In addition, Meta has already rolled out both communities and custom feeds this year, and now this reaction tool joins that lineup. Hence, the platform is slowly building toward a fuller social network, rather than a stripped down text app.
Meta has not yet shared when this feature reaches other markets.
