- WhatsApp beta for Android shows a floating bottom navigation bar, with rounded edges and a more modern look.
- Meta AI now has a fixed slot in the bottom menu instead of relying solely on a floating button.
- We are working on a Contacts tab with birthday alerts read from the phone's address book.
- The design is still in beta, with no official release date for Spain or Europe, and could change before its arrival.
WhatsApp for Android is undergoing a complete redesign. The first clues appear in beta builds, specifically version 2.26.38.10 , and point to a different, more modern bottom navigation bar that is separated from the edge of the screen. The WABetaInfo portal was one of the first to detect this change, which has not yet been officially confirmed by Meta.
It's best to take it easy: this isn't a finished feature or an update available to everyone. What we've seen is from the beta channel , so the icons, animations, transparency, and final layout could change. There's also no firm date for its release to Android users.
A floating, more rounded bottom bar
The most striking change affects the area we use to navigate between sections. Instead of being flush against the bottom edge, the bar now appears suspended with soft corners . This design is reminiscent of what we see in other apps and aims to make better use of large screens.
With this design, switching between chats, news feeds, communities, and calls should be more convenient using your thumb. The idea isn't just aesthetic: it also relates to ergonomics on large-screen phones , where the bottom controls are the easiest to reach.
In the leaked images, the bar appears in both light and dark modes. There's talk of a look inspired by iOS's Liquid Glass finish, although WhatsApp for Android doesn't necessarily have to replicate that effect exactly. In fact, the final translucency level isn't confirmed yet and could be adjusted depending on the operating system and the user interface of each phone.
Meta AI and the new Contacts tab
Another significant change is the position of Meta AI. Until now, the assistant typically appeared as a floating button above the new chats access . In the beta version, Meta AI in WhatsApp has a fixed location within the bottom menu, at the same level as other regular sections.
This would make the AI tool much more visible to daily WhatsApp users. Meta has been integrating its AI features into services like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook for some time, and this move fits with its strategy of bringing the assistant closer to the user without forcing them to search for it.
Alongside the navigation bar, a dedicated Contacts tab is being developed. This section would allow users to access their contacts directly from the app and could include birthday reminders. When the birthday arrives, WhatsApp would display a cake icon and the phrase "Happy Birthday today" next to the person's name.
The date wouldn't need to be re-entered into WhatsApp: the app would read the date saved in the phone's address book. If the contact doesn't have a birthday saved, it would need to be added to the phone's contacts app. This feature was first seen in the iOS beta and is not yet available to the general public.
What changes for Spain and Europe, and when will it arrive?
There is currently no official rollout schedule for Spain or the rest of Europe. Since these are internal tests within the beta version , Meta will likely refine the design before rolling it out to the stable version. It hasn't been announced which countries will receive the change first or how long the rollout will take.
Analysis suggests the rollout could take several weeks or even longer, and it's possible some parts of the redesign may be modified or discarded along the way. The simultaneous presence of duplicate accesses to Meta AI in some screenshots indicates that the work is still in its early stages.
The underlying goal seems clear: to make WhatsApp more consistent across Android and iOS. The company wants to maintain a recognizable experience on both systems, but without abandoning the visual cues specific to each platform . For Android users, the redesign responds to a request repeated for years: to modernize an interface that had barely changed while the app added features.
The leaks suggest a more modern WhatsApp for Android, featuring a floating bottom bar, Meta AI integrated into the menu, a future Contacts tab, and birthday reminders read from the calendar. However, there are no firm dates or official confirmation , so we'll have to wait for Meta to decide when and how to implement these features in the final version.