WhatsApp will now be able to mask messages as spoilers, just like another well-known messenger does

WhatsApp is developing a feature for hiding text in messages

The company is working on a new formatting option that will allow users to “spoiler” part of a message – i.e., hide it until the recipient clicks on the masking area.

How it will look
* In the latest test build for iOS (TestFlight) a font selection menu appeared, which already includes “Bold,” “Italic,” and “Strikethrough.”
* A new “Spoiler” button is placed next to these items. After activation, the selected text fragment is covered by a gray bar. The recipient sees the hidden text only after clicking on that area.

Quick way to enable a spoiler
If you want to quickly add a spoiler, simply wrap the desired piece in double vertical bars:

```
||text that needs to be hidden||
```

When sent, the message automatically converts into a hidden fragment.

Current status and prospects
* At present, the feature is actively under development and is not yet available even to beta program participants.
* Similar work is underway for the Android version, so a release for the wider audience may appear fairly soon.
* Currently support is limited to text; it is unknown whether photo or video masking will be added.

What already exists in other messengers
Telegram has long implemented spoilers for both text and media content. WhatsApp regularly borrows similar features from competitors – for example, it recently added the ability to forward message histories to new group chat members.

Thus, if you want to avoid unwanted spoilers in your chats, keep an eye on news about the upcoming release of this feature.