A New WhatsApp Look Shaped by Liquid Glass
WhatsApp is rolling out a fresh interface on iPhone that closely mirrors Apple’s upcoming iOS 26 visual language. Early findings from the WhatsApp beta for iOS version 25.28.75 point to a “WhatsApp Liquid Glass” experience, where translucent layers, subtle depth, and smoother motion replace the older, flatter UI. Rather than reinventing the app’s layout, Meta is refining what users already know, making the design feel lighter, cleaner, and more immersive. The bottom navigation bar, menus, and general chrome are being reworked to feel more like native system components. This iOS 26 redesign aims to make WhatsApp appear better integrated with Apple’s next-generation interface, so it feels less like a bolt‑on app and more like a natural part of the platform. For users, that should translate into a more premium, visually coherent messaging experience.
Translucent Tabs, Buttons, and Smoother Animations
One of the most striking changes in the WhatsApp interface update is the bottom tab bar. It now appears as a semi‑transparent strip that gently blurs the content underneath, creating a floating effect consistent with Liquid Glass aesthetics. Icons animate more fluidly, with the active tab indicator dynamically adapting to match the selected icon, adding a touch of personality to every tap. This glass‑like treatment extends across both light and dark themes, with transparency and background effects tuned to each mode. Elsewhere, buttons adopt semi‑translucent surfaces and softer depth cues, replacing the older, flat rectangles. Combined with more fluid transitions between screens, these tweaks give the app a smoother, more tactile feel. The goal is not just visual flourish, but a sense that every interaction is part of a cohesive, polished motion system.
Menus, Keyboard, and Liquid Glass Consistency
Beyond the navigation bar, WhatsApp is updating supporting UI elements so they better match Apple’s Liquid Glass philosophy. The app is adopting the native iOS 26 keyboard style, giving the typing area a translucent, slightly reflective finish that subtly reflects and adapts to the chat background. This makes the lower half of the screen feel less like a solid block and more like a layered glass panel. Context menus are also getting a makeover, trading solid cards for glass-like surfaces with adaptive transparency and modern shadows, reinforcing the layered depth effect across the interface. While the overall layout of chats and conversation lists remains familiar, these refinements create a more unified visual story. Not every surface is fully updated yet—the chat bar still retains traces of the older flat design—but the direction is clearly towards full Liquid Glass consistency.
Limited Testing Now, Ecosystem Alignment Later
For now, the Liquid Glass interface is not available to everyone. The redesign is being tested within WhatsApp beta for iOS 25.28.75, and even users on that build may not instantly see the new visuals. WhatsApp is enabling the feature on a limited number of accounts via server‑side switches to monitor performance, collect feedback, and tweak details before a broad rollout. Some elements, such as the chat bar, still show the older aesthetic, indicating the project is a work in progress rather than a finished overhaul. Strategically, this move positions WhatsApp to feel more native inside Apple’s evolving ecosystem, where transparency, layering, and smooth motion are becoming core to the system identity. As iOS 26 matures, this design modernization should give WhatsApp a more polished, premium presence that matches the rest of the platform’s user experience.