WhatsApp does not stop This month, which will end soon: In March, a long list of functions and visual innovations were tested to improve the design of the application: radar for nearby devices, a new status editor, transcription of voice sounds, a new security icon, improved chat blocking, group blocking of individual chats filters to isolate chats, a tool to pin or detach up to five chats in the top area.

However, if there is an application that is already official, it is among the applications that those of us who use the messaging application are waiting for the most and to which WhatsApp has been dedicating for months. new navigation bar design. And we say months because this functionality has been showing its claws for almost a year now, achieving a much more minimalist aesthetic reminiscent of its interface on iOS, namely where the logo is green and everything else is white.

A year later, the new WhatsApp bar is now a reality

At Xataka Android, we tell you about upcoming changes months in advance because we’re replicating what was seen in the betas, thanks to the team that first spotted them nearly a year ago. Follow Google Material Design guidelines. But WhatsApp stepped back to see this happen a few more times last summer. But this week, the change has finally become permanent, as even Meta mentioned it on his X/Twitter profile.

Click to go to WhatsApp broadcast on X

As you can see from the before and after of the main interface of WhatsApp for Android, the new tab bar is fixed at the bottom of the screen and has four tabs of equal size and white background: Chats, News (States), Communities and CallsAn evolution of the previous tab bar, with smaller tabs for Communities and larger tabs for Chats, News, and Searches.

WhatsApp explains that this new bottom bar design not only looks more minimalist and balanced compared to Material Design design patterns, but is also closer to the thumbs. Easier to reach and therefore more ergonomic. It’s also easier to tap and swipe sideways to switch between tabs.

But the changes don’t stop there: WABetaInfo recently discovered that WhatsApp is working on a new feature. New suggested contacts section in the Chats tab (version 2.24.7.23) is right below the chats we have open, so in practice they will be out of sight… if you are not at your first step into the application, then it might be interesting for you to add more people. However, considering that this is a test, its final application may vary or may not occur at all.

Cover | Photo by Dima Solomin on Unsplash and Smartmockups

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