diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ImStyleParser.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ImStyleParser.java
index 4e438115d161bc800f2b1fa2202b32d44a7abaf2..7521b0ec6c64f813b981c19506b04c02d0aa5dd9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ImStyleParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ImStyleParser.java
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public class ImStyleParser {
 		return parse(text, 0, text.length() - 1);
 	}
 
-	private static List<Style> parse(CharSequence text, int start, int end) {
+	public static List<Style> parse(CharSequence text, int start, int end) {
 		List<Style> styles = new ArrayList<>();
 		for (int i = start; i <= end; ++i) {
 			char c = text.charAt(i);
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/StylingHelper.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/StylingHelper.java
index 6dbdee7890f930fd20045e9429a39e4924ad0418..45484448824e91f6f29df823416053a9dd758fdf 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/StylingHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/StylingHelper.java
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ import android.widget.EditText;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import eu.siacs.conversations.entities.Message;
 import eu.siacs.conversations.ui.text.QuoteSpan;
 
 public class StylingHelper {
@@ -65,8 +66,8 @@ public class StylingHelper {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static void format(final Editable editable, @ColorInt int textColor) {
-		for (ImStyleParser.Style style : ImStyleParser.parse(editable)) {
+	public static void format(final Editable editable, int start, int end, @ColorInt int textColor) {
+		for (ImStyleParser.Style style : ImStyleParser.parse(editable,start,end)) {
 			final int keywordLength = style.getKeyword().length();
 			editable.setSpan(createSpanForStyle(style), style.getStart() + keywordLength, style.getEnd() - keywordLength + 1, Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
 			makeKeywordOpaque(editable, style.getStart(), style.getStart() + keywordLength, textColor);
@@ -74,6 +75,16 @@ public class StylingHelper {
 		}
 	}
 
+	public static void format(final Editable editable, @ColorInt int textColor) {
+		int end = 0;
+		Message.MergeSeparator[] spans = editable.getSpans(0, editable.length() - 1, Message.MergeSeparator.class);
+		for(Message.MergeSeparator span : spans) {
+			format(editable,end,editable.getSpanStart(span),textColor);
+			end = editable.getSpanEnd(span);
+		}
+		format(editable,end,editable.length() -1,textColor);
+	}
+
 	private static ParcelableSpan createSpanForStyle(ImStyleParser.Style style) {
 		switch (style.getKeyword()) {
 			case "*":