WhatsApp confirms huge update to chat app

WhatsApp is preparing to rollout a massive makeover of the world’s most popular messaging app. 

Owned by Meta, the platform says it will release the update, thought to be its largest in years, in the coming weeks to improve its service and enhance user experience. 

Early peeks at the new design show the app looking fresher and more streamlined than previous iterations. 

The updated aesthetic will see the famous block of green disappear from the top of the app, replaced with a lighter shade of the colour confined only to the logo and notification icons. 

Announcing the changes, the platform said: ‘WhatsApp should feel fresh, fun and yours with a look that’s familiar and native to your device. 

‘The new design should enhance simplicity, be scalable and future proof.’

‘Dark-mode’ is apparently getting an even-darker overhaul. The app said: ‘We heard that people wanted a darker dark mode.

‘We focused on higher contrast and deeper tones to reduce eye strain in low-light environments.

‘We’re making it one shade darker for improved visual appeal and legibility.’

Icons will also be changed to an ‘outlined’ style, lit up when a user has updated their status, to feature alongside new animations and a different default background to before. 

Navigation has similarly been streamlined, with the menu bar moved to the bottom of the screen for Android users, as they have been for some time for iPhone users. 

The app claims the new layout will make it easier for people to add attachments, such as media, polls and documents, as well as filtering through existing conversations to find the messages they’re looking for. 

A timeline for the rollout has not yet been announced.

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