WhatsApp Testing New Floating Navigation Bar for Android, Bringing iOS-Style Look to the App

WhatsApp is working on a redesigned bottom navigation bar for its Android application that brings an aesthetic closer to the app's iOS version, according to beta-tracking reports. The feature has been spotted in development within a WhatsApp beta build for Android, version 2.26.38.10, and separates the tab bar from the main app window, giving it rounded corners and a distinct floating look rather than the navigation bar stretching flush across the bottom edge of the screen.

How The Redesign Works

Under the experimental layout, the navigation bar sits slightly detached from the lower edge of the display instead of running seamlessly along the base. The change is limited to the shape and presentation of the controls rather than a full overhaul. Although the floating design draws comparisons to the tab bar system already used on WhatsApp for iPhone, the Android version does not adopt Apple's Liquid Glass styling. It instead continues to follow Google's Material design language, keeping native Android visual cues while updating the overall structure. Testers have noted that the floating effect is most visible in light mode, with the appearance becoming subtler when dark mode is turned on. WhatsApp Explains Why Some Accounts Were Locked and Put 'Under Review'.

Part Of A Wider Interface Refresh

The navigation bar update follows criticism on social media over WhatsApp's Android interface, with beta-tracking portal WABetaInfo having polled users on X on the state of the app's design, where several respondents said the current layout felt outdated and asked for a more modern look. WhatsApp has not officially confirmed that the redesign is a direct response to this feedback, but it arrives alongside other interface changes, including newly organised categories for custom chat themes that were introduced in an earlier beta build, 2.26.37.6. WhatsApp Username Reservations Now Open, Here Is How To Claim Yours.

Currently Limited To Internal Testing

The redesigned navigation bar is presently confined to early internal testing and has not been extended to general beta users or the public release of the app. Meta has not announced a timeline for when, or if, the update will reach the stable version of WhatsApp for Android.

Meta Also Expands Business Developer Tools

Separately, Meta has expanded its enterprise developer offerings with an MCP based integration for WhatsApp Business Tools, allowing AI coding assistants such as Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT to help streamline business API onboarding, account verification and payment setup directly within AI assisted development environments.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2026 05:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).