Facebook’s new ‘Care’ reaction lets you show love to friends and family amid coronavirus pandemic

At a time when so many of us are apart due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to show friends and family that you haven’t forgotten about them. 

To help with that, Facebook is launching a new “Care” reaction on Facebook and Messenger. The new reaction was first reported on by feature sniper Jane Manchun Wong, and the news has now been officially confirmed by EMEA tech comms manager at Facebook, Alexandru Voica.

“We’ve added a new reaction so you can show extra support while many of us are apart. We hope this helps you, your family and your friends feel a bit more connected,” the company said in a notice that shows up on Facebook for some users. 

The addition brings the number of available reactions on Facebook to seven. Note that the emoji for the Care reaction are different on Facebook and Messenger; one is a smiley hugging a heart, and the other is a pulsing heart. 

The new reacts will start rolling out next week globally, Voica said on Twitter, and users will be able to use it to react to posts, comments, images, videos and other content, both in the mobile Facebook app and on facebook.com.