WhatsApp Tests New Floating Navigation Bar for Android Users

WhatsApp is testing a new look for its Android app. The change is to the bar at the bottom of the screen, where users tap to switch between Chats, Updates, Communities and Calls. In the new design, this bar floats a little above the bottom edge and has soft, rounded corners.

The design was found in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.38.10 by WABetaInfo, a website that tracks upcoming WhatsApp features. Reports about it appeared on September 27 and 28, 2026. The feature is still being built. It has not been switched on even for most beta testers, and regular users cannot get it yet.

What the new bar looks like

Right now, the bottom bar on Android is flat and stretches from one side of the screen to the other. The new bar is a separate, oval shaped strip that sits apart from the rest of the app. This gives it a "floating" look.

The idea comes from WhatsApp on iPhone. The iPhone app already uses a floating tab bar, which arrived with Apple's new "Liquid Glass" design style. But WhatsApp is not copying the iPhone look fully. On iPhone, the bar is see through like glass. On Android, it is expected to be much less transparent and to follow Google's own Android design rules.

WhatsApp is making the new bar for both light mode and dark mode. According to the reports, the change is easy to notice in light mode, but it looks less different in dark mode.

Meta AI may get a fixed place

The bigger change may be for Meta AI, the chatbot built into WhatsApp. At the moment, Meta AI appears as a small round button that floats above the button used to start a new chat. In the test version, Meta AI seems to get its own spot inside the main bottom bar, next to the other tabs.

This would make Meta AI much harder to miss. Some users may like quick access to it, but others who only want a simple messaging app may not be happy to see AI given a permanent place.

The layout is clearly not final. Screenshots of the test build show Meta AI in two places at the same time, which means WhatsApp has not yet decided where it should go. This is not the first try either. Earlier this year, WhatsApp tested a separate Meta AI tab on Android, and in some tests it took the place of the Communities tab. The company has also tried a new Contacts tab and has moved Communities, Updates and Meta AI around several times in recent months.

Another change after the 2023 move

This is not the first big change to how Android users move around WhatsApp. For many years, the tabs were at the top of the screen, which was hard to reach with one thumb on tall phones. In 2023, WhatsApp moved Chats, Communities, Updates and Calls to the bottom of the screen on Android. That change was first tested in beta version 2.23.10.6.

This time, the tabs are not moving to a new area. Only the shape and style of the bar are being changed, along with the possible new spot for Meta AI.

What it means for users in Pakistan

WhatsApp is one of the most used apps in Pakistan, and most smartphones in the country run on Android. So if this design is released, millions of Pakistani users will see a new bottom bar on their phones. The good news is that nothing about sending messages, making calls or posting status will change. It is mainly a change in looks.

Users do not need to do anything for now. There is no public release date. When WhatsApp finishes the design, it will usually turn it on for a small group of beta testers first, then for everyone through a normal update on the Google Play Store. Some beta features are changed, delayed or even dropped before they reach the public, so the final design could look different.

People who want the new look early should wait for the official update. Some unofficial "mod" versions of WhatsApp already offer a floating bar, but WhatsApp does not allow these apps and can ban accounts that use them. Mod apps can also put your chats and personal data at risk.