The new, redesigned WhatsApp is what Android users always wanted

I’ve tried virtually every major messenger app over the years, but my favorite has always been Apple’s Messages. No, I’m not a blue bubble snob. I’ll happily use different messaging apps with different friends. But I’ve always preferred Apple’s Messages because of its clean, minimalist design. Still, many of my friends prefer WhatsApp, and most businesses that offer messenger-based support use it, so I also use Meta’s messenger quite frequently. That being said, WhatsApp for Android has always bugged me because its UI has always seemed too crowded. 



The green top header that took up nearly a fifth of the app’s real estate felt wasteful, like an unneeded ceiling. And the text-based tabs for chats, updates, and calls preceded by a camera icon made it feel like Meta was just cramming in buttons willy-nilly. Then there’s the fact that a search field was never displayed—only a magnifying glass icon—so it was easy to forget that you could search in WhatsApp.



But all that changed last week, when WhatsApp rolled out its first major redesign in three years. I love the Android redesign so much, and for one big reason: WhatsApp now looks a lot like Apple’s Messages.




we’re rolling out design updates to give WhatsApp a fresh new look, while keeping it familiar + easy to use