macOS Sonoma Video Reactions

In case anybody else gets punked by 🎈 🎉 🎆 randomly popping up in your video calls after upgrading to Sonoma, it’s because of macOS’s magic new “Reactions” feature:

https://support.apple.com/guide/facetime/use-video-effects-fctm81f99179/mac#fctmf61c4753

You can turn them on/off by clicking the FaceTime icon in your menu bar.

On macOS Sonoma, click the FaceTime icon in your menu bar to see your camera settings, then select Reactions to turn them on or off.

To save you a click, here’s a list of all the current gestures and their reactions:

ReactionGestureIcon
HeartsTwo hands making a heart gesture.Heart icon
Thumbs upLeft hand making a thumbs up gesture.Thumbs up icon
Thumbs downRight hand making a thumbs down gesture.Thumbs down icon
BalloonsRight hand making a V shape with two fingers.Balloons icon
RainTwo hands, both making a thumbs-down gesture.Rain icon.
ConfettiTwo hands, both making a V shape with two fingers.Confetti icon.
LaserTwo hands, both with the index and pinky fingers extended.Laser icon
FireworksTwo hands, both making a thumbs-up gesture.Fireworks icon