Most people associate WhatsApp’s redesign with the bottom navigation bar getting a frosted makeover. But if you dig into the code of the latest beta build for iOS, version 26.17.10.70 on TestFlight, you will find something far more interesting sitting quietly in the background. Meta is rebuilding the entire in-chat interface around the WhatsApp Liquid Glass design language, and it is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious visual overhauls the app has ever attempted. The changes are not live yet, not even for beta testers, but they are real, confirmed, and already taking shape.
What WhatsApp Liquid Glass Looks Like Inside a Chat
WABetaInfo, the trusted source for WhatsApp feature tracking, managed to activate the hidden in-chat interface early and shared screenshots of what is coming. The most striking change is the chat bar at the bottom of the screen. Instead of sitting flat and rigid against the edge of the display, it now floats. The background of this floating bar uses a translucent, glass-like material that dynamically reflects and refracts whatever content is behind it, giving it a depth and softness that the current interface completely lacks. Even the button that lets you jump to the latest message in a conversation has been updated to match this Liquid Glass aesthetic.
The navigation bar at the top of the chat screen is also getting a complete rethink. Rather than a solid-colored header, it will carry a semi-transparent look with subtle shadow, depth, and blur effects layered together. The result is a chat screen that feels lighter and more connected to iOS 26’s overall visual identity, rather than like a third-party app bolted onto a platform it does not quite belong to. I’ve been following this for a while, and honestly, this is the first time WhatsApp’s iOS design has genuinely felt like it belongs on the platform rather than just visiting it.
The 5 WhatsApp Liquid Glass Changes Worth Knowing
Beyond the in-chat update, WhatsApp has been methodically rolling Liquid Glass across the app piece by piece. Here is the full picture of what has changed or is in progress.
1. The Floating Chat Bar
The new floating chat input bar is the centerpiece of the upcoming update. It detaches from the bottom edge of the screen, uses real-time blur effects underneath, and gives the whole conversation area a more open, airy feel. This is currently hidden in beta build 26.17.10.70 and has not reached any live users yet.
2. The Semi-Transparent Navigation Bar
The header that sits at the top of every chat thread is being redesigned with frosted glass material and a layered depth effect. According to WABetaInfo, this will complete the visual alignment of the chat screen with the rest of the app’s updated look.
3. The Redesigned Voice Message Player
Earlier this year, 9to5Mac reported that WhatsApp was working on a Liquid Glass overhaul for the voice message playback bar. The floating, translucent player will match the new chat interface and allow users to leave a chat while still listening without any visual disruption. After looking into this more closely, I can tell you that this was actually one of the more quietly impressive updates, and most coverage barely mentioned it.
4. The Bottom Tab Bar and Context Menus
With WhatsApp version 26.14.76, the app began widely rolling out Liquid Glass to the bottom tab bar, context menus, and interactive buttons. Long-pressing a message now surfaces a translucent overlay that subtly reflects the colors behind it. Buttons have been softened with a frosted glass finish, and the keyboard itself now carries the same visual language.
5. The Updated Keyboard
The keyboard on WhatsApp for iOS 26 now uses a more translucent design compared to the flat version it replaced. It integrates into the app’s overall look rather than appearing as a disconnected system element, with softer edges and subtle translucency across both light and dark modes.
Why the WhatsApp Liquid Glass Rollout Has Been So Slow
This is the part of the story that most people are sleeping on. WhatsApp began testing the Liquid Glass look all the way back in 2025, when WABetaInfo first reported a limited rollout of the updated bottom navigation bar to some users running version 25.28.75. That was in early October 2025. Here we are months later, and a significant portion of users still have not seen the updated interface at all.
The exact reason has never been officially confirmed by Meta, but WABetaInfo’s reporting strongly suggests WhatsApp is monitoring performance carefully before expanding access. When I first heard about this, I didn’t think much of it, but after digging in, I changed my mind completely. A gradual rollout of a design change this sweeping, one that touches the keyboard, nav bars, chat input, and context menus simultaneously, is actually a sensible approach. Rushing it out could create stability problems or visual inconsistencies that would be much harder to walk back.
According to reports, WhatsApp appears to be holding off on a broader rollout of the in-chat redesign until more of the app has been updated to align with the Liquid Glass design language. It makes sense to ship the whole experience at once rather than in mismatched pieces.
What to Expect Next
Sources suggest that once the in-chat interface redesign clears internal testing, it will move to beta testers on TestFlight before going live for all users. Given the pace of the rollout so far, it is rumored that a wider release could happen gradually across the summer of 2026, potentially timed around iOS updates that refine the Liquid Glass system further.
Industry insiders hint that WhatsApp may also be exploring additional Liquid Glass-compatible elements beyond what has been discovered so far, potentially including redesigned call screens and settings menus. Personally, I think the in-chat update is the one that will have the biggest visible impact, since the chat screen is where users spend the vast majority of their time inside the app.
The way things are heading, the WhatsApp Liquid Glass experience will eventually cover every visible corner of the app. When it does, it will be one of the most thorough third-party adoptions of Apple’s design language that any app developer has delivered on iOS. This is not just a cosmetic touch-up. It is a fundamental rethinking of how WhatsApp presents itself on iPhone, and based on what the beta code is already showing, it looks like Meta is taking it seriously.
