Google Messages is hiding a useful text formatting feature from users

Android Authority

2 days ago

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR It turns out Google Messages supports text formatting, but currently, only the integrated Gemini chatbot can use it to format its own replies.
The hidden feature uses Markdown syntax, as seen when the Gemini chatbot formats its own text with symbols like double asterisks for bolding.
A full rollout may be challenging due to cross-platform compatibility needs, as text formatting isn't a standard part of the RCS specification.
Google Messages was a simple SMS app back in the day, but since adopting Rich Communication Services (RCS) and becoming Android's default texting app, it has steadily grown more feature-rich. However, it still lacks some basic quality-of-life features found in competing messaging apps, such as text formatting — or so we thought. It turns out Google Messages does have text formatting support, but it's hidden away from users.
Many messaging apps let you apply basic formatting to your messages before sending them. You can typically bold, italicize, strikethrough, or underline text. Android apps with this capability usually let you format text by selecting it and choosing an option from a context menu or toolbar. Google is no stranger to this, as both Google Chat and Google Keep already support text formatting.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
Formatting text in Google Chat
Regular Android Authority contributor Assemble Debug first spotted evidence in November 2023 suggesting that Google was planning to bring text formatting to Messages. In the year and a half since that discovery, however, nobody had reported the feature going live, so we thought it had been abandoned. Yesterday, however, Telegram user derelict_arch informed us that the Google Gemini chatbot in Messages was formatting its own text using Markdown — a system that adds formatting by wrapping plain text with simple symbols. For example, the chatbot bolded words by wrapping them in double asterisks (**word**) and highlighted code by wrapping it in backticks (`code`).
derelict_arch on Telegram
While I was also able to get Gemini to respond with Markdown-formatted text, I couldn't format my own messages before sending them. It seems that while Google Messages has backend support for text formatting, only the Gemini chatbot can currently use it. Unfortunately, there's no way for users to format texts themselves.
I can understand why Google hasn't rolled out Markdown text formatting for everyone, as it's a niche feature. The average person doesn't know Markdown syntax and would struggle to use it. However, Google could still add text formatting to Messages without forcing users to learn Markdown. The company could simply add formatting options to a context menu or toolbar, similar to its implementation in Google Keep.
The main challenge, then, would be ensuring formatted text renders properly on other devices. This wouldn't be a problem on Android, as most devices use Google Messages, allowing Google to handle the formatting. However, it might pose a problem when texting between iPhone and Android, as text formatting isn't defined in the latest RCS Universal Profile 3.0 release for person-to-person chats. According to some users, iMessage added support for basic text formatting with the same syntax as Google Chat and WhatsApp in iOS 18, so it's not out of the realm of possibility for Apple and Google to adopt it. For now, though, we have no indication that either company is working on this, so we'll just have to hope it comes to fruition.
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