WhatsApp for Android is readying iOS-like bottom navigation bar

0
62

[ad_1]

WhatsApp for Android may soon switch to a bottom navigation bar. The Meta-owned messaging platform is currently working on this major UI redesign. The in-development change was spotted within the latest beta version of the app by the folks over at WABetaInfo. It isn’t available to users yet, not even to beta testers.

While most apps offer similar UI on Android and iOS, WhatsApp is not among those. The world’s most popular messaging app has a bottom navigation bar on iPhones but the Android version has it at the top. It isn’t a problem for most users, but those who frequently switch platforms may find this inconsistency across the two platforms a bit annoying. The company is seemingly preparing to fix it, giving the Android version an iOS-like look and not the other way around.

WABetaInfo spotted this change within version 2.23.8.4 of WhatsApp beta for Android. The publication confirms that the new UI is still in development and isn’t live on the said beta version of the app for users. But they could grab a screenshot of the proposed change by digging deep into the APK file. As you can see in the attached image below, the redesigned UI places four buttons at the bottom of the screen. The new UI has Chats, Communities, Status, and Calls from left to right in that order.

The current top navigation bar has Communities on the extreme left, followed by Chats, Status, and Calls. The topmost panel with the WhatsApp logo and the camera, search, and more buttons is unchanged, though. Overall, the redesign brings Android and iOS versions of the WhatsApp app closer in terms of interface. It isn’t entirely a copied UI across the two platforms, but both follow the same design philosophy. Most Google apps also have a bottom navigation bar.

WhatsApp is still working on this UI redesign for its Android app

As mentioned earlier, a bottom navigation bar for WhatsApp’s Android app is currently in development. There’s no timeline regarding its public release. But if everything goes well, beta testers may get the new UI within the next few weeks, followed by a stable rollout. We recommend keeping the app updated to get all the latest changes and new features. The company is also working on fingerprint locking of individual chats, new poll settings, and more changes.

WhatsApp Android bottom navigation bar redesign

[ad_2]

Source link