- By Vikas Yadav
- Sat, 30 Mar 2024 10:51 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
WhatsApp introduced a significant UI update for Android users a few days back. While we were observing the change across many Android devices for a few days, WhatsApp has now officially announced it is moving the navigation bar from the top to the bottom. The option to switch between tabs like Communities, Chats, Status and Calls tab can now be accessed within better reach of your fingers.
For some users, a full-width search bar is now visible at the top instead of the navigation tabs. This change has gained mixed reactions on Elon Musk's X (formerly called Twitter). The new navigation bar tweak was earlier spotted in the beta build before its availability to the public. Users can swipe across tabs on the app to switch sections.
"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," WhatsApp said. In the new interface, the tabs are arranged in the following order: Chats, Updates, Communities and Calls. The change makes the options more accessible with a single hand and similar to iOS.
android friends, we moved some things around to make it easier to access what you need, when you need it
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) March 28, 2024
meet your new navigation tools 🤝 closer to your thumbs and easy on the eyes pic.twitter.com/CqLvZf9meo
It seems the new change aligns with the Material Design inclination of WhatsApp. However, X users have shared varying reactions to the change relating to the search bar. Here are a few of them:
1.
what are whatsapp’s android devs doing? this looks so bad 😭
— System Settings (@app_settings) March 30, 2024
you can’t close the search bar, either. ITS ALWAYS THERE. pic.twitter.com/kvjyGOnBfh
2.
Hey @WhatsApp dev, how do you guys consider such a ugly search bar UI, that too beneath nav bar pic.twitter.com/spqBBHgrr5
— Vinod Kumar (@TechVinu) March 30, 2024
3.
WhatsApp needs to hire new graphic designers.
— Kunal (@KunalSatpute_) March 30, 2024
why they created a separate search bar, when search icon in menu bar was doing it's thing perfectly 😭
4.
My WhatsApp on Android has just given up. The search bar has been stuck like these for days. pic.twitter.com/xy3XZvhBG9
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) March 30, 2024
5.
What a monstrosity is this search bar pic.twitter.com/b9hO4OxhbF
— tech BHAI (@Myth_logical_) March 29, 2024
Meanwhile, the company is also developing an option to disable link previews on iOS for added privacy. According to WABetaInfo, the feature can help restrain interference to the IP address by third-party sites. Moreover, the company is also working on a preview feature for pinned chats. With the enhancement, the preview of images will be visible if they are pinned on Android after the feature is available. The latest beta comes amid the development of the 'Start chatting' option on Android.