Choose how people react
Reactions now have their own section in Studio settings. Give your community a single Like, a short list of reactions, or any emoji, then decide what one tap gives and how many reactions each person can leave. The NEO web and mobile apps follow your settings.
Three modes
Pick one in Reactions mode.
- Solo: One reaction, given with a click or a tap. Right for announcements and milestones, where a Like says enough.
- Few: Your site's reaction list as a bar: Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry on a new site. Hover the reaction button on the web, or long press it in the app, to choose.
- Many: Any emoji, from an emoji picker with search and groups. Your site's own reactions come first, so the usual ones stay one tap away.
What one tap gives
The Default reaction is the one a single click or tap gives, and a second tap takes it back. The other reactions are a hover or long press away.
Set it to None and the button reads React and opens the choice every time. With one reaction per person, a new pick replaces the old one.
More than one reaction each
Reactions per person goes from 1 to 5 and works in the Few and Many modes. With 1, choosing another reaction replaces the one given. With more, people can give that many different reactions to the same post. At the limit the other reactions are disabled and the picker says so: "You can give up to 3 reactions." A reaction already given can always be taken back.
One counter, or one for each
Split counters shows a counter for each reaction instead of one total. Leave it off for a quieter feed, or turn it on when the mix of reactions is the point.
Where to find it
Everything is in Studio › Settings › Global › Reactions:
The settings apply wherever reactions appear on your site, on content and on comments.
Works with the rest of the platform
- Languages. Reaction names, the button and the limit message are translated like the rest of UNA and NEO.
- Your own reactions. Add a reaction to the Reactions list in Studio › Forms › Data Lists and draw it with your own SVG icon in NEO's customization files.
- Keyboard and screen readers. On the web, the arrow keys open the bar or picker from the reaction button and move between reactions, Enter picks one, and Escape closes it and puts focus back on the button. Screen readers announce the button, each counter, and which reactions are chosen or unavailable.
- Live updates. With a sockets server set up in Studio › Settings › Global › Sockets server, counters change as other people react, without a reload.
- Web and mobile. The same modes work in the NEO web app and the mobile app, where a long press opens the bar.
- Themes. Reactions follow the light and dark themes.
Upgrading an existing site
- The old Enable 'Quick Reactions' mode option becomes the default reaction. If it was on, the default reaction is Like. If it was off, it is None.
- On the classic UNA interface, counters now follow Split counters too. A site that showed one counter per reaction shows one total until you turn Split counters on.
- In Many mode, the classic UNA interface still offers your site's reaction list. The emoji picker is in NEO for now.
- Reactions given under an earlier mode are kept, and people can still take them back.
For developers
- Every reactions object in the API now carries the site's settings in
options:mode,default,per_user,split_countersanditems. Any client can follow them. - Emoji from Many mode are checked on the server and stored as
e_<hex>codes, because theutf8mb4_unicode_cicollation treats many emoji as equal. - The per-person limit and the replace rule are enforced on the server, not only in the app.
- The full change is in [unacms/UNA#5834](https://github.com/unacms/UNA/pull/5834).
Reactions are in UNA 15. Open Studio › Settings › Global › Reactions, try the three modes on your own feed, and keep the one that fits your community.
One more thing! The volunteer sign-up sheet for next month's neighbourhood cleanup is pinned in the Neighbourhood Organisers group.
Non-litter highlights from this year's litter picks:
- a garden gnome
- two traffic cones
- a perfectly good umbrella
- a wedding invitation (we posted it back)
- one roller skate, left foot
The gnome now lives in the community garden. He seems happy there.
Late-night notes on a year of organising, because I promised myself I'd write them down before January.
What worked: regular dates people could plan around, a list of small jobs for those who can't make Saturdays, and tea. Never underestimate tea. We went from a handful of people in spring to twenty-odd most months.
What didn't: me doing everything. By November I was the only person who knew where the kit was, who had the hall keys and who to ring at the council. Next year I want at least two other people able to run a session without me. If you've managed that hand-over in your own group, I'd love to hear how you did it.
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Checking back in on these in March. The small-jobs list is working: eight people have picked something off it since January.
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The hand-over part is slower. Two people have led a litter pick without me so far, which is two more than last year.
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And the later start for winter sessions was the right call. Turnout held up even through February.
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Next up is the spring clean-up. I'll post the date once the council confirms the skip.
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Dog-sitting the foster lurcher from down the road over the holidays (the one who needed a crate back in November). He has claimed the sofa, he snores like a tractor, and I have given up on sleep. Not so nervous any more, clearly.
Fourteen litter picks, one coat swap, and a neighbourhood group chat that turned into an actual group. That was 2025 for us. Thank you all.
What's one thing you want to try in your community next year?
Thanks, John Hallett, for digging up this review after I asked about GPS watches for dogs. It's about a children's watch, but the app side, with safe zones and location history, looks a lot like the pet trackers I've been comparing.
Before I buy anything for our walks: does anyone here use a tracker on their dog? How long does the battery really last?
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Also, did people sign their own names, or did you keep the cards anonymous?
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Answering my own question after talking it over with our moderators: for a health support space we're going to keep the cards anonymous, or first names only. A few ground rules we agreed on, in case they help anyone running something similar:
- No full names, addresses or anything else that could identify the sender or the person receiving the card.
- Nothing about anyone's diagnosis, treatment or appointments. Keep the messages warm and general.
- Taking part is optional, and so is receiving a card. Some people would rather not, and that's fine.
- Cards go out by post from the group, not handed over at the clinic, so nobody is singled out in a waiting room.
- If someone is struggling, a card is not the place to deal with it. Point them to their own care team or local urgent services.
Thanks for the idea, Jane. I'll report back on how it goes.
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