WhatsApp is working on two designs to gather the message writing area and send button in the same structure in the Android application. WhatsApp, the work that appeared in version 2.26.41.11, not yet available to beta users. WhatsApp’s chat screen adjustments continue with different interface experiments on the Android side.
The common point of the two designs is that they move the message entry to the upper part of the bar. The circular send button is placed inside the bar instead of standing outside the area as in the current layout. This change separates the writing area and the tools underneath it into two more distinct sections.
The first option keeps the emoji button on the left. Additional file and camera shortcuts are listed on the right, next to the send button. Therefore, the right section offers a view closer to the vehicle layout in the current interface.
The second option moves emoji, attachments and camera tools together to the left. Only the send button remains on the right. In addition, both attempts have the same top message area and send button structure integrated with the bar. WhatsApp has not yet announced which of these two options it will use.
WhatsApp is not yet deciding between the two designs
On the other hand, the application also carries out a separate study on the bottom navigation bar. Findings in version 2.26.41.7 point to the rounding of the sign indicating the selected tab. The bottom bar, which floats above the screen, has rounded corners and does not carry text labels, constitutes another part of these interface works.
Here, it is necessary to separate the area you use when writing messages in the chat and the submenu where you switch between the main sections of the application. Although the two appear at the bottom of the screen, they undertake different tasks. Therefore, a design attempt in the submenu does not change the message area of all chats at the same time.
Even if you are using the WhatsApp beta version on your Android phone, you may not see the new bar immediately. WhatsApp continues to develop the feature and has not yet granted access to test users. Therefore, if the old view remains after updating the application, it does not mean that the update has failed.
Additionally, screenshots do not represent a promise for the final interface. The company may change the location of the buttons during development or completely abandon one of the layouts it tried. The date of the public release is not yet clear. The development confirmed by users is the preparation of two alternative layouts for the Android chat bar.