Starting from this week, Android and iOS beta testers of WhatsApp will be able to use a new font. This new font, which users call ‘FixedSys‘ because it resembles Microsoft’s font, is available with the latest 2.16.179 beta version of WhatsApp for Android on the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, for the moment we are not able to tell you when this new font will be released as a stable version.
That said, what is this new font and how can you use it? It’s quite simple to use FixedSys: you just have to add the grave accent symbol (`) three times before and after the word or phrase. In this way, before sending your message, you will see a preview of this new font, that makes your text appear expanded and also the letters will have a space between them. It seems quite funny, isn’t it?
If you wish to try FixedSys, you need to remember that you cannot mix it together with other formatting options such as italics or bold. And in fact, this latest formatting update follows the one introduced a few months ago, which allows users to write in italics, bold or strikethrough. WhatsApp users are still waiting the stable release of some new features that for now are available only as beta versions: we are talking about the larger emojis and the group invite links. And of course, most of all, we are all waiting to use the video calling option.
For better or for worse, it is an undeniable fact that nowadays WhatsApp influences our lives and it is difficult to imagine how was our life before the arrival of this Facebook-owned instant messaging app. Sadly, during the last few months, WhatsApp has been often used to share and divulge violent plans. And what happened this week is jut the last example of the misuse of WhatsApp.
Al Jazeera Arabic reported that on Sunday it obtained a series of conversations revealing the plan for Turkey’s attempted coup. Therefore Al Jazeera Arabic broadcast some messages sent through WhatsApp by those involved in the coup. Among the revelations, there were the orders for soldiers, or even the order to fire against the hotel where the President Erdogan was staying on Friday evening. And we all know how it ended.