Character AI users mock new Patrick Star button that inserts “**” in chats

A new Patrick Star button appeared in Character AI recently, in the chat input box. Tapping on this button inserts double asterisks and places the cursor between them with one tap. While many people expressed a dislike of its design, it is a good quality-of-life change that gets rid of an extra step.

Developers added this Patrick Star button to speed up formatting. Roleplayers can tap it to either bold or italicize actions without switching keyboards. The shortcut saves a few seconds during long chats.

Players were quick to share screenshots and mock the new button, voicing strong opinions. The shape of the button is quite cartoonish, and it also crowds the input field. People say it looks less like a professionally designed shortcut and more like an animated character.

The general reaction was that the button was big and ugly. While some people wanted better formatting in the input box, this isn’t what they expected. Some others wonder who uses double asterisks for actions in the first place, questioning the use of this intrusive button. Those who dislike using fancy style wouldn’t really want this button either.

Users of this app made a lot of jokes about this change, because the app already has serious technical problems. There are random session crashes without warning, a lot of slow responses, ads popping up mid-conversation, and more. Instead of trying to solve the bugs, developers decided to focus on adding this button instead, which many people found hilarious as well as infuriating.

The reception towards this button was not entirely negative. Some people appreciated the change, since it’s more convenient. It helps avoid typing the wrong symbols on small devices like smartphones. More positive reactions included asking people to relax, and that the button was added to lighten the mood of the user. However, many people already gotten used to the old method and find this button distracting. A simple toggle to turn the button off, for those who don’t want it, will satisfy everyone.

People are demanding better prioritization from the team, since stability and bug fixes are more important than adding such buttons.

Feel free to share your thoughts about it in the comments below.

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