A Liquid Glass makeover for WhatsApp on iPhone
WhatsApp is rolling out a striking new look on iPhone, adopting a Liquid Glass design that closely mirrors Apple’s latest iOS 26 visual language. Instead of the older, flatter interface, the app now leans into transparency, layered depth, and more fluid UI effects. Semi-transparent panels and glass-like overlays give common screens—like chats and settings—a cleaner, more immersive feel while still preserving WhatsApp’s familiar layout and navigation. The redesign is being tested in WhatsApp for iOS version 25.28.75, with the visual refresh enabled gradually through the App Store. By syncing its aesthetics with Apple’s evolving system style, WhatsApp aims to feel more native and premium on modern iPhones, especially where OLED displays can really showcase subtle blur, light, and shadow. The result is an interface that looks less utilitarian and more like a polished, first‑party iOS experience.
Translucent tabs, layered depth, and smoother animations
The most noticeable change in the WhatsApp redesign is the bottom navigation bar, which now sits on a semi-transparent surface that gently blurs the content behind it. This creates a floating, glass-like effect that reacts subtly as you move through the app. Icons respond with smoother, more refined animations when tapped, and the active tab indicator dynamically adapts to the selected icon, reinforcing the sense of motion and depth. Across the interface, elements like overlays and navigation components get softer shadows and updated styling to match the broader iOS 26 design language. Transitions between screens feel more fluid, replacing the utilitarian snappiness of the older design with motion that guides your eye naturally from one view to the next. Together, these tweaks deliver a more cohesive, visually rich experience without disrupting the core structure long-time users rely on.
Refreshed buttons, keyboard, and menus for a cohesive iOS 26 design
Beyond the navigation bar, WhatsApp is refreshing many interface elements to better align with the iOS 26 design language. The app now adopts Apple’s native Liquid Glass keyboard style, bringing a translucent, reflective look to the typing experience. The keyboard subtly adapts to the chat background, tying conversations and controls into a single visual layer. Buttons throughout the app gain semi-translucent surfaces and smoother tap animations, reinforcing the illusion of glass panels floating above the content. Context menus also receive a modernized, layered appearance, with adaptive transparency that helps them stand out without feeling harsh or disconnected. These updates extend across both light and dark modes, with transparency and blur tuned differently depending on the theme. The overall effect is a more unified, premium interface that feels deeply integrated with Apple’s latest UI direction rather than a standalone, mismatched app.
A phased rollout and what users can expect next
Despite the dramatic visual overhaul, the WhatsApp Liquid Glass experience is still a work in progress, and not everyone will see it immediately. The redesign is limited to selected accounts on the latest iOS beta builds, with WhatsApp enabling the new look server-side to monitor stability and collect feedback. Even for those who get the update, some areas—like the chat bar—still retain parts of the older flat design, hinting at further refinements to come. Meta may continue to tweak transparency levels, animations, and layout details before pushing the redesign broadly. For now, users should expect a phased rollout where the app gradually adopts more of Apple’s iOS 26 design cues over time. As the Liquid Glass language spreads across the OS, WhatsApp’s early adoption positions it to feel instantly at home in Apple’s next-generation visual ecosystem.