WhatsApp now tests a dynamic bottom navigation bar that shrinks when users scroll down on Android. The feature appears in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.41.6, according to WABetaInfo. The discovery comes as WhatsApp continues to overhaul its Android interface with multiple design updates.
When users scroll down through their chat list, the navigation bar shrinks into a compact floating pill at the bottom of the screen. The icons stay visible, but the bar takes up far less space. When users scroll back up, the bar expands to its full width again. In addition, this behavior applies across all tabs, not just the chat list. Similarly, Instagram already uses this exact approach in its own app.
The idea behind this change focuses on reducing distractions. While users scroll through chats to find a specific conversation, they rarely need the navigation tabs. As a result, the smaller bar gives more screen space to the chat list itself. However, the full-width bar still greets users every time they open a new tab.
This marks the fourth design change to WhatsApp’s Android navigation bar in recent beta updates. In version 2.26.38.10, WhatsApp introduced a floating bar with rounded corners and removed text labels from under the icons. Then, in version 2.26.41.7, the app switched from a pill-shaped tab indicator to a circular one. WABetaInfo notes that the design remains a work in progress.
WhatsApp first moved its navigation bar from the top of the screen to the bottom in 2024. That change brought the app in line with most modern mobile apps and made one-handed use easier. WhatsApp described the bottom bar as “closer to your thumbs” and “easy on the eyes” at the time. Since then, the company has steadily refined the bar’s look and behavior. The four tabs in the bar include Chats, Communities, Status, and Calls.
The dynamic navigation bar currently sits under development. WABetaInfo reports that it will roll out to some beta testers in a future update. However, WhatsApp has not announced a timeline for the stable release. Users who want to try it early can join the beta program through the Google Play Store.