Privacy-focused messaging app Signal is adding text formatting. You can italicize your message, make it bold, strike through a word or phrase to discard it, share code in monospace, or use a spoiler effect to hide your message from the recipient (more about it below). These formatting options are currently available to beta users. A stable release may follow in the coming weeks.
The latest beta update for Signal brings text formatting
Signal has made itself a name in the messaging space thanks to its extensive privacy features. The app regularly adds new features, such as camouflage icons, to further bolster its privacy-centric approach. However, it still lacks in some other areas. Text formatting has been one of the missing features, and it’s now on the way.
Version 6.24.1 of the Signal beta for Android lets you format your message in various ways before sending it. You can format a single word or the whole message by selecting it in the compose field (press and hold on to a word). This will bring a pop-up menu with multiple action buttons, including Cut and Copy. Next to those are formatting options, such as Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, Monospace, and Spoiler (tap the vertical three dots to see more).
Most of you may be already familiar with these options, or at least the former three. Bold will make the selected word/phrase bolder to emphasize it, while Italic will italicize the text. Strikethrough puts a line through the text to make it look like you have discarded it without erasing the text. Monospace, meanwhile, is usually used to separate codes or other technical information from the main text. In this format, all characters have the same breadth.
Finally, Signal has added a Spoiler effect that hides the message with an animation. The recipient can choose to see it by tapping on the message bubble, but the message will not show up until they manually opt to see it. This can be handy in group chats where you don’t want to reveal the plot of a new movie to a friend who hasn’t watched it yet but want to discuss it with others who have watched the movie.
As said earlier, these text formatting options are rolling out with version 6.24.1 of Signal beta for Android. If you are part of the beta program, check for an update for the app in the Google Play Store. If not, you can join the beta program here. Those who are not willing to use the beta build will have to wait until these features arrive in the stable channel. You can click the button below to install the latest version of the Signal app.
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