WhatsApp is testing an Android menu bar that shrinks into a small pill as you scroll, which could leave more room for your chat list.
WhatsApp is testing a menu bar that gets out of the way. On Android, the row of buttons at the bottom of the screen shrinks into a small floating pill when you scroll down your chats. Scroll back up and it grows to full width again.
The icons stay visible in the small version. The change applies to all tabs, not just the chat list. Instagram already uses the same approach.
When you scroll to find a conversation, you rarely need the tabs. A smaller bar gives that space to the chat list. The full-width bar still shows each time you open a new tab.
This is the fourth design change to the Android bar in recent beta versions. Beta means an early test version. One update added rounded corners and removed text labels under the icons. Another swapped a pill-shaped tab marker for a circular one. The bar holds four tabs: Chats, Communities, Status and Calls.
The feature is still in development. WABetaInfo, a site that tracks WhatsApp tests, says it will reach some beta testers in a future update and that the design is a work in progress. WhatsApp has not announced when everyone will get it.
Android users who want to try it early can join the beta program through the Google Play Store.
WhatsApp on Android may soon show more chats as the menu bar shrinks while you scroll, but there is no release date.
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