Facebook’s heart-shaped reaction is called Love. It was one of five emotional reactions introduced alongside the Like button when Facebook launched Reactions worldwide on February 24, 2016.
The reaction system was designed to give users more ways to respond when a simple Like felt unsuitable. Love represented strong affection or appreciation, while Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry conveyed amusement, surprise, sympathy and outrage. Users could access the options by pressing and holding the Like button on a post.
Love is commonly confused with Facebook’s later Care reaction, which uses a hugging-style emoji and was introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Care is intended to express support or solidarity, whereas Love specifically uses the heart symbol.
Facebook first tested Reactions in Ireland and Spain in 2015 before expanding them globally. Reactions later became available on comments, and Facebook has occasionally offered temporary or regional options such as the rainbow Pride reaction.