What you need to know
- An upcoming update for Google Keep could bring text formatting.
- The update could enable text formatting toggles to bold, italicize, and underline text in notes.
- The new formatting features don't appear to be live just yet, but it may not be long before they show up.
While Google can’t seem to make its mind up when it comes to Wallet and messaging apps, it tends to play things safe elsewhere. One of these apps is Google Keep, which is a prime example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
However, diehard Google Keep users have wanted better text formatting options for years. And by better, we many anything other than the basic ability to add links and bullet points within your notes. Thanks to 9to5Google’s APK Insight, the latest Google Keep update (version 5.22.182.00) appears to suggest that text formatting might finally be on the way, giving users more options for editing notes.
In the app's code, there are new icons to bold, italicize, and underline text within a note. Along with these additions found in the code, the icons being used also match up with what you’ll find in other Google processing apps like Docs or Sheets.
This APK teardown also reveals that Google plans to offer a toggle to “Show formatting controls” and “Clear formatting.” By doing so, Google is bringing some sorely-needed features to one of the best note-taking apps on Android.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen any major changes made to the Google Keep app. Most recently, Keep added some new Material You-themed widgets as Google made a conscious effort to redesign many of its own widgets. Once text formatting arrives, it will provide users with even more options for handling their notes and task lists.
This latest version of Google Keep is not yet available for everyone. Even so, it appears that this may be a server-side update that requires Google to flip the switch before features show up for users. As Keep is one of our favorite note-taking apps, we'll definitely keep an eye out for any user-facing changes.
