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WhatsApp for iPad gets a visual refresh: Here's how it looks now
The WhatsApp iPad app is getting a redesigned interface with floating navigation bars, frosted glass effects and smoother animations
- PUBLISHED: Mon 29 Jun 2026, 2:23 PM
WhatsApp is finally bringing its Liquid Glass interface to the iPad, giving Apple's tablet users the same modern look that arrived on the iPhone earlier this year.
The redesigned interface is currently rolling out to selected beta testers and some users on the stable version of the app, according to WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo. While Meta has not officially announced a global release date, the update is expected to reach more users over the coming weeks.
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The new design aligns WhatsApp's iPad app with Apple's Liquid Glass design language introduced with iPadOS 26 and iOS 26, which uses translucent interface elements, floating navigation controls and fluid animations to create a more immersive experience.
One of the most noticeable changes is the redesigned tab bar, which now appears as a floating, semi-transparent panel instead of being fixed to the bottom of the screen. Unlike the iPhone version, however, the iPad interface relies solely on icons rather than displaying text labels beneath them.
The navigation bar has also been refreshed. As users scroll through their chat list, the bar gradually becomes more transparent, allowing content beneath it to remain visible and creating a smoother visual transition.
Buttons throughout the app have also adopted the frosted glass appearance. They now feature subtle animations when tapped, while menus and contextual controls share the same translucent styling to provide a more consistent experience across the app.
Although WhatsApp for iPhone, iPad and Mac share much of the same underlying code, new features are often released separately. Meta typically introduces major interface changes in stages, allowing developers to monitor performance and fix bugs before expanding availability.
The company is also continuing to refine Liquid Glass elsewhere. Recent beta versions for iPhone add the translucent design to the in-chat message bar, while WhatsApp is reportedly working on additional visual improvements for its Mac app, including a redesigned sidebar and dedicated section for locked chats.
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