Since last year, WhatsApp has allowed its over 1 billion users to do something useful: format the text they input into the chat field just before sending it. That has come with its own fair share of challenges because how it works isn’t really what you would call user-friendly. I mean, we all love using shortcuts but I am not one to want to remember where to put the asterisk every time I want to emphasize a point to someone I am conversing with.
Which is why not long ago, I put down this handy reference piece.
Going forward, that reference piece will be useless because WhatsApp has finally seen the light and done what it ought to have done right from the start. WhatsApp users will soon be able to bold, italicize and strikethrough text without having to recall what symbol/code to put where.
The latest WhatsApp beta update (version 2.17.148) brings handy shortcuts that can be accessed by simply selecting the keyed-in text that one intends to format. Alongside the usual cut, copy, paste and share options, users now get an added three-dot menu which when clicked, expands to reveal several text formatting options – bold, italic, strikethrough and monospace.
Here’s to hoping that WhatsApp releases the update to the stable app soon.
