BERLIN: Signal, the popular encrypted messaging app, has extended its text formatting feature to all supported platforms. This means that users can now bold, italicise and strikethrough text on iPhones, iPads and PCs.

The feature was initially released for Android in early July, but it is now available in Signal version 6.36 for iOS and on the Signal desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux.

To format text in Signal, simply select the text you want to format and then tap the formatting buttons that appear. You can also use keyboard shortcuts:

Signal has provided some suggestions for how to use the new formatting feature in its app update notes: "Make a bold statement that's actually bold, send M. Night Shyamalan a twist ending with a spoiler effect, emphasise a name by writing 'Alex' in italics, put a line through a rejected dinner idea with strikethrough, or share code in monospace."

Rival messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp also allow you to format text in messages, but WhatsApp for desktops still requires a somewhat nerdier involving special characters either side of formatted text, for example *text* for bold.

 - dpa