WhatsApp first added text formatting tools such as bold, italic, strikethrough, and monospace in 2016. In 2017, it added a floating text toolbar, and then didn’t do much about it for years. That’s why its competitors are way ahead of its options.
But a new desktop beta is coming soon, which will introduce a few new text formatting options like bold code block, quote block, and bulleted list formatting.
The screenshot above shows what that markup will look like when the update is released: The code block encloses the text in a different colored window, the quote block puts a vertical line to the left to make part of the message stand out more, and bulleted lists look great for quick notes.
Unfortunately, while WhatsApp has greatly improved its text formatting options, it still hasn’t offered numbered lists or spoiler tags. These are features that rival messaging apps like Slack and Discord have, and Telegram even lets you edit stories.
However, with early 2023 updates, you can add captions when sharing a document on WhatsApp, and save and share voice memos as statuses instead of plain text.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over two billion users across much of Latin America, India, Europe and Africa. So it’s surprising to say the least that it’s still this far behind in terms of features compared to much less used apps.
This is probably due to the fact that no other app comes close to challenging WhatsApp in terms of popularity, especially in non-US regions. Still, nothing is guaranteed, and WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, needs to introduce more premium features for text customization if WhatsApp is to keep its top spot.
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