WhatsApp has released an update for Android users that adds a convenient navigation bar to the bottom of the app. The new bottom bar design makes navigation within the app easier to understand and provides quick access to new messages and other features offered by the Meta-owned chat app. In addition, this update conforms to Android's Material Design guidelines, so it looks better with the rest of the OS.

The feature has been available in beta for some time; according to WhatsApp on X's announcement, it will finally be introduced to WhatsApp's stable channel. The bar appeared in the beta channel in June and disappeared shortly after; it returned in September, disappeared again, and appeared in the beta channel about a week ago.

The navigation bar has four tabs. Users can quickly switch between the application's main functions: chats, updates, community, and calls. In the old menu, chats, updates, and calls were prominently displayed, while the community was small and inconspicuous.

WhatsApp describes the new lower menu bar as "thumb-friendly and easy on the eyes," and I agree with that assessment. I have grown accustomed to navigating through apps with the menu at the bottom of the screen. On larger phones, reaching the top of the screen can be a pain, so having the buttons at the bottom allows me to get where I need to go quickly and efficiently.

WhatsApp users already see a new menu bar.

WhatsApp beta testers have also discovered several other new features. For example, a new "Recommended Contacts" section has been added to the "Chat" tab, which seems like a cool way to find people you might know.

If you want to try out the latest features in WhatsApp's beta channel, you can check it out on the Google Play store page. However, at the time of this writing, the beta is full and WhatsApp is not currently accepting testers. It may be worth bookmarking this page.