WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion users. It allows people to easily communicate with friends, family, and coworkers through text, voice notes, images, videos, and more. Since WhatsApp is commonly used for both personal and professional communication, many wonder if they can format their messages using HTML like they would in an email or on a website. So can you use HTML in WhatsApp?
The short answer is no, WhatsApp does not support HTML formatting within messages. When you send a message on WhatsApp, it displays the plain text as you typed it, without rendering any HTML tags. However, there are some formatting options available in WhatsApp, such as bold, italics, strikethrough, and monospace text. You can access these by surrounding text with asterisks or underscores. But full HTML and CSS styling is not possible within the app.
If you copy and paste content with HTML tags from another source into WhatsApp, the tags will simply show up as plain text rather than being rendered. For example, text surrounded by tags will not display in bold. WhatsApp strips out any HTML tags for security and simplicity reasons. Formatting is limited to only what the app developers have chosen to include.
Why Doesn’t WhatsApp Support HTML?
There are a few key reasons why WhatsApp does not allow the use of HTML for formatting text:
Security Risks
Allowing HTML input in messages opens up security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers. HTML tags can be used to inject malicious code or scripts into messages. By only supporting plain text, WhatsApp significantly reduces the attack surface. Stripping HTML tags mitigates cross-site scripting (XSS) risks that could compromise user data and accounts.
Cross-Platform Consistency
WhatsApp is available on iOS, Android, web, and desktop. By restricting formatting to a limited set of options that are consistently rendered on all platforms, it creates a seamless messaging experience across devices. Supporting platform-specific HTML and CSS would make achieving consistency much more difficult.
Clutter Reduction
Too many formatting options can clutter up the interface and make it overwhelming for users. Most people don’t need or want complex formatting when quickly firing off chat messages. Limiting options to bold, italics, etc. keeps the focus on easy chat-style communication.
Development Effort
Building in full HTML support would require significant development resources. The app would need much more complex message handling and rendering capabilities. Given limited demand for HTML from most users, WhatsApp has prioritized other feature development for now.
Workarounds for Adding HTML Content
While you can’t format WhatsApp messages with HTML, there are some workaround options:
Embed Web Content
You can paste a link to a web page that contains HTML content you want to share. WhatsApp will automatically embed a brief preview of the page with images and text formatting intact. Tapping the preview will launch the full page.
Export as PDF
Create your content with HTML in a document or web page first. Then export or print as a PDF file. The PDF can retain all your formatting. Send the PDF file through WhatsApp as a document attachment.
Screenshots
Take a screenshot of your HTML content from the original source. Crop the screenshot if needed to only show the relevant portion. Send the screenshot image through WhatsApp. This preserves the visual styling.
Code Blocks
Wrap your HTML code in monospace backticks to format it as a block of code. This allows recipients to view the raw HTML even if it doesn’t render live.
Is WhatsApp Going to Add HTML Support?
There are no official announcements indicating if or when WhatsApp may add support for HTML messaging. The company’s public roadmap does not mention it as an upcoming feature. And WhatsApp has not added major formatting changes recently, focusing instead on features like status, stickers, and dark mode.
However, never say never. It’s possible WhatsApp could choose to incorporate more formatting options down the line, maybe in a limited implementation. Competing messaging apps like Telegram already offer some HTML styling capabilities. If users begin demanding richer formatting, WhatsApp may be pressured to expand capabilities to remain competitive. But more likely they will restrict changes to their own native formatting tools instead of introducing a full HTML parser.
Risks of Allowing HTML Formatting
Adding true HTML support comes with considerable risks that WhatsApp may determine are not worth the benefits. But what exactly are the risks if WhatsApp enabled HTML formatting?
Security Vulnerabilities
As mentioned earlier, permitting HTML input opens the door to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. These attacks aim to run malicious scripts that could expose private data or allow account takeovers. For example, a hacked HTML file sent through WhatsApp could potentially:
- Steal session cookies and impersonate users
- Inject hidden iframes to change behavior or steal info
- Install keylogger JavaScript to capture secret chats
- Leverage DOM-based XSS to modify client-side UI
- Conduct clickjacking by overlaying hidden buttons
Failing to properly sanitize and validate HTML server-side could give hackers all sorts of possibilities to wreak havoc.
Performance Issues
Enabling HTML would require client apps to parse full HTML on the fly as users receive messages. And on the server side, properly sanitizing HTML requires CPU cycles. This added processing load could degrade performance and responsiveness, harming the user experience, especially on low-powered mobile devices.
Inconsistent Rendering
The WhatsApp web, desktop, Android, and iOS apps would all have to accurately interpret and render arbitrary HTML and CSS in messages. Achieving perfect cross-platform consistency with HTML formatting would be extremely tricky. Tiny rendering differences across apps could frustrate users.
Adoption Friction
Initial user confusion is likely if suddenly they need to learn HTML tags to format WhatsApp messages. Non-technical users would find a HTML-based interface daunting. Rampant formatting errors are likely in the beginning, harming readability until users get used to the change.
Message Ambiguity
It can sometimes be hard to tell intent when only words are available. But allowing font size, color, styling changes makes that even worse. Sarcastic or ironic messaging could easily be misinterpreted if complex formatting is abused.
The Case for Limited Formatting
Given these risks, WhatsApp is wise to limit formatting for now. But they have implemented some basic styling such as bold, lists, and headings in WhatsApp Business accounts. This hints they recognize room for improvement in messaging expressiveness, while balancing security and usability.
It’s unlikely WhatsApp will ever support unfettered HTML. But incrementally expanding native formatting capabilities makes sense. Options like lists, headings, underline, font size, color, and tables add visual hierarchy and clarity.
Formatting improves scannability for long messages and highlights key points. And common daily use cases like sharing recipes, travel plans, and event descriptions benefit from light formatting. Whitespace, borders, and emphasis improve conceptual chunking of text as well.
| Formatting Feature | Use Cases |
|---|---|
| Headings | Organize sections clearly |
| Lists | Break down steps |
| Bold | Highlight importance |
| Italics | Add emphasis |
| Underline | Call out text |
| Text color | Increase contrast |
| Font size | Improve readability |
A few lightweight formatting tools similar to popular word processors and email clients strike the right balance. They add needed visual structure while keeping messages crisp.
Conclusion
To summarize, WhatsApp does not currently support using HTML tags for text formatting within messages. This omission stems from valid technical and security concerns. However, the growing formatting functionality in WhatsApp Business indicates a recognition that basic styling options benefit usability.
WhatsApp is unlikely to incorporate full HTML and CSS due to the risks involved. But incrementally expanding native formatting capabilities makes sense to enhance visual clarity and user experience in specific use cases. The company must tread carefully to add just enough flexibility to satisfy user needs without compromising security or performance. With careful execution, limited formatting options could make WhatsApp messaging even more simple, personal, and fun for billions worldwide.