WhatsApp has been experimenting with a fresh new navigation bar layout for almost a calendar year. In the beginning noticed by beta testers, the alteration demonstrates the app’s commitment to align with Google’s Materials Layout rules. Even so, WhatsApp swiftly reverted the change, only to reintroduce it in June and September of 2023. And now, it has resurfaced after more, catching focus just last 7 days.
What can make this new beta check intriguing is its air of finality. As opposed to former tests that only influenced particular units, last week’s trial included joined Android phones earlier unaffected. WhatsApp has now verified the alter with an announcement on X (formerly Twitter). The revamped tab bar, now affixed at the base of the screen, boasts 4 tabs: Chats, Updates, Communities, and Calls. This marks a departure from the former structure, which showcased a lesser tab for Communities along with more substantial types for Chats, Standing, and Phone calls.
In accordance to WhatsApp, the new bottom bar style is strategically positioned for less complicated thumb obtain. Additionally, it supports easy tab navigation via sideways swiping. The app’s Play Retail store changelog has been duly current, and people are witnessing this feature rollout throughout their gadgets.
Even so, the beta tests community continue to has a lot more to foresee. Notably, WABetaInfo not long ago unearthed a forthcoming feature—a “Suggested Contacts” area inside of the Chats tab. Inside of the most recent Perform Shop beta for WhatsApp (variation 2.24.7.23), testers discovered a focused area aimed at suggesting new contacts for conversation.
Curiously, this segment resides at the bottom of the active chat checklist, a considerably less frequented location for quite a few buyers, supplied WhatsApp’s paramount relevance in specified marketplaces. Even so, it could verify helpful for new WhatsApp buyers. Though the attribute remains below improvement, its final implementation could possibly change. Even so, users anticipate its utility, notably if it triggers briefly just after preserving a new contact on WhatsApp or the device’s dialer app.