WhatsApp is now rolling out a significant upgrade to the app’s user interface on Android smartphones. The Meta-owned messaging service has announced that it has relocated the four navigation tabs at the top of the screen to the bottom.
The redesigned visual interface has been enabled on the beta version of the app for several months and is now available to all users. The new design will also make it easier for users to flip between tabs while holding the phone in one hand.
WhatsApp announced the release of the new bottom navigation bar on Android via a post to X (previously Twitter). WhatsApp shared screenshots of the former UI, which included four tabs — communities, chats, status, and calls — above the list of chats. With the most recent update, users will notice that the tabs and icons have been moved to the bottom, and the arrangement may have been modified.
android friends, we moved some things around to make it easier to access what you need, when you need it
meet your new navigation tools 🤝 closer to your thumbs and easy on the eyes pic.twitter.com/CqLvZf9meo
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) March 28, 2024
This is one of the most significant updates to the WhatsApp for Android layout in a long time, and it brings the app’s main navigation tabs within reach of your thumb, which is especially useful if you only have one hand free.
However, if you want to search for something, you’ll still have to go to the top of the screen. WhatsApp for iOS likewise displays tabs at the bottom of the screen, with a fifth one for the settings menu.
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While the bottom navigation tabs may finally be available to users following months of testing on the beta channel, WhatsApp is working on more improvements that may be added to the app in the future.
