WhatsApp announces a design refresh for its iPhone and Android apps

WhatsApp, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform that works on just about everything with a display and an internet connection, has announced some changes to its iPhone and Android apps. The updates aren't new features as such, but more tweaks to the existing interfaces that people use daily. Changes include an upgraded color palette, an improved default chat background, and more.

WhatsApp made the changes known via a lengthy post to the Facebook blog in which Idit Yaniv, VP, Head of WhatsApp Design, detailed the changes that are being made. All of these changes are rolling out to users now, although they require a server-side flick of a switch. Make sure that you have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your iPhone or Android phone and hang tight if you don't see them just yet.

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Meta explained that there are a number of different changes that have been made including the use of a new color palette that will allow the company to make better decisions about the way the app uses color as a whole. As part of that, the post also announced that Android users can expect a new, darker dark model. WhatsApp says that people had requested that the dark mode be less bright, so it's now one shade darker.

Over on the iPhone, WhatsApp says it's implementing a new interface for adding attachments to chats which will no longer take over the entire screen and instead make better use of the space available to it. Android users can also look for the new navigation bar - it's been moved from the top of the screen to the bottom.

Other smaller changes include a refreshed default background for chats, updated icons, and animated illustrations used throughout the app.

Remember, you might not see all these tweaks just yet so hang fire if you're still waiting on them.