WhatsApp is giving its iPhone app a much more extensive visual overhaul, expanding Apple’s Liquid Glass-inspired design language beyond menus and chat lists and into the parts of the app users interact with constantly.
The updated WhatsApp interface introduces translucent elements throughout individual conversations, including the message composer, navigation controls and contextual menus. It is a noticeable shift from the more conventional opaque interface WhatsApp has used for years, and brings the app closer to the visual direction Apple has established across iOS.
Perhaps the most obvious change is the message input area. Rather than sitting inside a visually separated section at the bottom of a conversation, the composer now appears to float above the chat with a frosted, semi-transparent treatment. Content underneath can subtly influence its appearance, creating the layered glass effect that has become central to Apple’s latest interface design.
WhatsApp is applying a similar treatment to the navigation bar at the top of conversations. Wallpapers and portions of the chat underneath remain partially visible as users scroll, giving the interface more depth instead of placing controls over a solid background.
Contextual controls are changing too. Long-pressing a message to access reactions and additional actions now brings up menus using the same translucent glass aesthetic. That keeps more of the conversation visible while users interact with a message, replacing the heavier opaque blur previously used in these areas.
There are smaller changes that collectively make the redesign more noticeable. Message bubbles have more rounded corners, while photos and videos shared inside conversations lose some of the traditional framing around them. The result is a cleaner presentation, although whether users find all that transparency easier to navigate will probably depend on wallpaper choices and how well WhatsApp handles contrast in busy conversations.
The redesign is significant less because of any individual visual tweak and more because of its scope. WhatsApp has previously introduced elements of the Liquid Glass look to areas such as its main tabs and chat list, but extending it through conversations makes the aesthetic feel like an app-wide design decision rather than a partial reskin.
It also shows how quickly Apple’s interface choices can ripple through major third-party apps. WhatsApp cannot simply ignore broader iOS design changes when millions of people move constantly between Apple’s own apps and Meta’s messaging service. Matching familiar platform conventions can make that transition feel more natural, even if it also makes individual apps look increasingly similar.
The new WhatsApp Liquid Glass interface is being distributed gradually rather than arriving for every iPhone simultaneously. Users should receive it through regular App Store updates as Meta expands availability across compatible iOS devices.
There are no major new messaging capabilities attached to the redesign, so this is fundamentally a cosmetic update. For people who spend hours inside WhatsApp every week, however, changing virtually every surface surrounding a conversation could make it one of the app’s most immediately visible iPhone updates in some time.
