WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.23.19.10.
What’s new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to swipe between tabs again, and it is available to a limited number of beta testers!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Tab swiping |
| Status? | Rolling out |
| Compatibility? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.19.10 is marked as a compatible update. |
| I’ve installed this update but I don’t have these features. Why? | This feature is available to a limited number of beta testers, and it may be released to more people over the coming weeks. |
| Thanks: | It’s_Adrian_16 and Augusto Richard, for testing and reporting. |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp for iOS 23.17.81: what’s new? WhatsApp is widely rolling out a feature to create a new group chat while forwarding messages! |
TAB SWIPING
In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.16.17 update, we announced that WhatsApp was widely rolling out a new interface that includes a bottom navigation bar. With this interface, WhatsApp aims to better align the app with the latest standards of Material Design 3, providing users with the best modern interface. Unfortunately, we also announced that users were losing the ability to swipe between tabs with that update. Today, we discovered that WhatsApp keeps testing this feature by releasing the ability to swipe between tabs to a limited number of beta testers!
As you can see in the attached video, the feature to allow users to switch to a different tab by using the swipe gesture may finally be available again after installing the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.19.10 update from the Google Play Store. In the past, this feature was removed because it does not align with the guidelines of Material Design 3. However, it seems that WhatsApp started implementing this feature again, likely to gather additional feedback.
It is very important to highlight that the ability to swipe between tabs is still against the guidelines of Material Design 3. With the recent updates, WhatsApp is evolving the application to align it with the Material Design 3 standard. However, based on the past updates of the app, it seems that WhatsApp may have still plans to allow users the option of using the tab-swiping feature, despite it being in violation of the guidelines. It’s worth noting that, as we have often explained on X, we cannot guarantee that this is a final decision and that they will not decide to discontinue this feature permanently. We can only wait and see.
The feature to swipe between tabs is available to a limited number of beta testers who install the latest WhatsApp beta for Android update from the Google Play Store, and it may be released to more people over the coming weeks.
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