WhatsApp tests new floating navigation bar on Android

WhatsApp is testing a fresh version of its Android bottom navigation bar, and this time the app is borrowing visual cues directly from its iOS counterpart. The new design that is visible in the WhatsApp beta version of Android 2.26.38.10 places the navigation bar away from the other elements in the app while making the edges of the bar rounded and floating.

It all started with the WhatsApp beta version 2.23.10.6, where the company shifted its primary segments of chats, communities, updates, and calls to the bottom bar.

Three years later, WhatsApp is revisiting the same element, this time reshaping its structure rather than its position.

The new bar looks similar to the floating tab bar that WhatsApp has released for iOS in sync with the Liquid Glass Design by Apple.

That’s where the similarity ends, as the WhatsApp Android version uses the design language provided by Google and not the one by Apple. Currently, this change is visible more in the light theme of WhatsApp than in the dark one.

The timing lines up with a wave of Android user complaints. WABetaInfo recently posted on X asking for reactions to the current Android interface, and many replies called for a more modern look.

While WhatsApp has not officially linked the feedback with the introduction of the new navigation bar, the commonality cannot be ignored. It should be noted that this is one of many interface changes implemented by WhatsApp in 2022, such as the introduction of new categories for chat themes in version 2.26.37.6.

As of now, this redesigned bar is still being developed internally by the company and has not been tested on beta testers. No release date for this update has been revealed yet.