The company said these formatting features are available to users across platforms on iOS, Android, web and Mac. Apart from being used fully in one-on-one and group communications, these options will be available for the Channels broadcast feature as well.

Here is how you can use these features:

• Bulleted lists: Start a bulleted list by typing the “-” symbol followed by a space.
• Numbered lists: You can create a numbered list by typing a digit followed by a period and a space. For example: “1. “
• Block quotes: To insert block quotes to highlight certain text by typing “>” and then a space.
• Inline Code: You can highlight a snippet of code by placing the code between two “`” symbols.

WhatsApp already has basic text formatting options such as Bold, Italic, Strikethrough and Monospace. The new features can help users present content in different ways.

The chat app has expanded its communication options with communities, business messaging and Channels. That’s why there is also a need for formatting rather than sending a bunch of plaintext.