WhatsApp has added the ability to add bold, italicised and strikethrough options to your chats in its latest update.
While the new feature was first tested in beta, it is now available for users running version 2.12.17 on iOS and version 2.12.535 for Android. The update should download automatically.
How it works
- For bold, add asterisks to either side of your text, e.g. *bold*
- To italicise, add underscores on either side, e.g. _italics_
- To strikethrough text add tildes on either side, e.g. ~tilde~
It’s also possible to combine the new formats, such as _*bolditalics*_.
The new upgrade demonstrates how WhatsApp is becoming ever closer to becoming a full word processing platform, in the vein of Microsoft Office.
Another new feature is the ability to share documents from your Google Drive, by selecting Share > Share Document > More > Google Drive (you must toggle to permit access to your Drive).
WhatsApp is the world’s largest messaging service, with over one billion regular users. Facebook purchased the platform in 2014 for $19 billion (£13 billion) in 2014, and has continued to run the service parallel to its own standalone Messenger app.
Since buying Instagram in 2013, Facebook has added picture and video adverts, and the service has introduced new features and apps. WhatsApp, meanwhile, has changed remarkably little, with its major changes being the introduction of voice calling and the blue tick read receipts.
The app recently dropped its annual subscription fee of $1, or for those who downloaded it before July 2013, the upfront fee.