If you use WhatsApp on your Android device, you will notice a change in the design after the recent update. The profile photo that previously appeared in the main view has been removed. Instead, the familiar menu symbol is now at the top right above the chat list: three dots. Despite this change, your settings and other options are still accessible.
The return to the old design comes just a short time after the profile photo thumbnail was introduced in October. You can speculate that this decision is related to a new feature: since a few weeks it has been possible to use two WhatsApp accounts simultaneously on one device.
It’s also possible that the change happened because many users didn’t even notice that there was a menu hidden behind the profile photo. It remains to be seen whether WhatsApp will keep the three-dot option permanently or reintroduce the profile photo at some point.
The latter would actually make sense, especially regarding the dual-account option. This would make it much easier to see which of the two profiles is currently active.
Further visual changes are expected
The latest change is just one of many visual changes to WhatsApp, for example to different buttons. There are indications that the messaging service is making the updates to comply with Google’s Material Design 3 guidelines.
WhatsApp has not yet issued an official statement regarding this redesign. However, we expect more innovations, including possibly moving the menu bar to the bottom of the screen or new filter options and color schemes. These potential innovations can already be found in testing phases in the beta version.
There are similar features on Android devices with Google’s “Nearby Share” and Samsung’s “Quick Share,” notes netzwelt.de. However, these are not compatible with each other, making it difficult to exchange files between Android phones from different manufacturers. At CES 2024, Google and Samsung announced they would be merging the two features.
It is not known when the file sharing feature will be available to all users via the WhatsApp update. The data is sent end-to-end encrypted and your own mobile phone number is not sent.
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Sources
- Research by T-Online
- wabetaininfo.com: WhatsApp news of the week: File sharing feature with people nearby
(t-online/dsc)
Source: Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
