Summary
- Meta developers have redesigned WhatsApp with new elements, including a swipeable bottom bar and chat filters.
- Uppercase Online and Typing indicators have been rolled back due to user dissatisfaction.
- WhatsApp will continue to use lowercase indicators for now, after some users expressed displeasure with the change.
WhatsApp is one of the best encrypted messaging apps available on Android, and is also a hotbed of activity ranging from frequent feature additions to, more recently, UI changes. Meta developers have finally given the WhatsApp UI much-needed attention with new design elements like the swipeable bottom bar and chat filters. However, all the changes aren’t equally well-received and a small change to the Online and Typing indicators in the app has been rolled back for that reason.
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WhatsApp often tests new design changes with a limited audience in beta versions of the app, before rolling it out to billions of people reliant on the app for everyday communication. Last week, we spotted WhatsApp testing a very minor tweak to the indicators designed to tell you when people are online or typing a message for you. However, WhatsApp reached out to The Information to clarify it is rolling back the change.
Meta is rolling back the capitalization
WhatsApp said the change to uppercase first letters for Online and Typing indicators was a variation the company was testing with a handful of testers. Although Meta didn’t divulge the number of testers, or why it was rolling back the change, it said WhatsApp will stick to lowercase online and typing indicators for now.
Most other chat apps like Signal and Telegram use similar lowercase indicators, and although the change made WhatsApp an exception from the norm, several users were quick to voice their displeasure. Some argued the uppercase letters came too close to the profile picture previews in the top bar, while others said it jarringly disrupted the familiarity of WhatsApp’s UI.
Although this change was a minor inconvenience, WhatsApp didn’t explicitly state why it changed the indicators or if the public uproar caused the rollback. There’s a chance the uppercase indicators may reappear as well, but for now, normalcy has been restored.
