What you need to know
- WhatsApp wants to make your thumb work less with a new update.
- Navigation tools have now been moved to the bottom to make them more accessible.
- The popular green shade in the app has also been replaced with white.
If you’re an Android WhatsApp user, you might have noticed changes to the messaging platform’s home screen.
WhatsApp confirmed the changes via its X account over the weekend, which includes moving things around a bit for easier access. With the new update, the Community, Chats, Status and Calls tabs that are usually located at the top of the main WhatsApp screen have been moved to the bottom. The navigation tools have also been revamped.
android friends, we’ve moved some things to make it easier for you to access what you need, when you need it meet your new navigation tools 🤝 closer to your thumbs and easier on the eyes pic.twitter.com/CqLvZf9meoMarch 28, 2024
The popular green shade associated with the navigation tools above has been replaced with a white shade that complements the chat screen. The top section contains a QR code scanner, a camera icon, a search icon, and an overflow menu button, which also appear in white.
WhatsApp says the new navigation tools have been moved to the bottom to make access easier, “closer to your thumbs and easier on the eyes.”
Users who want to see the new changes must have the latest WhatsApp 2.24.6.77 version in the Google Play Store. The app’s “what’s new” section indicates the introduction of new navigation tools, seen with the new update along with the “screen sharing during video calls now supports audio sharing” feature. However, users are expected to see changes in the coming weeks.
WhatsApp on iOS implemented the navigation bar change a long time ago, and it’s encouraging to see Android phone users adopting the same aesthetic.
The Meta-owned messaging platform is trying to stay relevant to the competition and has been constantly rolling out great new changes over the past few months. WhatsApp was recently revealed to be adding a new feature that allows users to post videos of up to one minute as status updates, which was previously limited to 30 seconds. The possibility is quite similar to the one we are used to on Instagram.