WhatsApp is working on a comprehensive redesign of its Mac app that will introduce the Liquid Glass design language, aligning the desktop experience with the cleaner, more modern look that has been rolling out on iPhone since last year. According to WABetaInfo, Meta has kicked off work on the Mac redesign, with the update currently under development and not yet available to beta testers.
The redesign closes the design gap between WhatsApp’s iOS and Mac versions. Liquid Glass, introduced with iOS 26, brings translucency and layered visual effects with a glass-like appearance that reflects background content and works in both light and dark mode. WhatsApp began testing an early adaptation of Liquid Glass in October 2025, with a broader rollout beginning in May 2026, but the Mac app has remained visually dated by comparison, creating a jarring inconsistency for users who switch between devices.
What the redesign includes
Beyond adopting the Liquid Glass visual style, the Mac app redesign addresses several structural issues with the current interface. The changes include:
- A redesigned sidebar that displays both icons and text labels for clearer navigation
- An updated chat bar with refined controls
- A refreshed attachment menu
- A dedicated locked chats section that requires authentication
The locked chats addition closes a privacy gap between platforms. On iPhone, locked chats are stored in a separate section protected by Face ID, but on Mac they currently appear directly in the main chat list with no additional security. The redesign will move locked chats into a dedicated section on Mac that requires user authentication before access, bringing feature parity with iOS. The redesign is being aligned with macOS 26 Tahoe, Apple’s current operating system design language.
The slow road to modern WhatsApp
WhatsApp’s history with Liquid Glass rollouts suggests patience will be required. The company began testing an early version of the design in October 2025, but most users did not see it until a broader rollout began in May 2026, a lag of roughly seven months. Meta is also expanding Liquid Glass to additional parts of WhatsApp for iOS, including the voice message player and message reactions menu, indicating Meta is treating the design overhaul as an ongoing, incremental process rather than a single simultaneous push.
This pattern of staggered rollouts reflects how WhatsApp Plus subscription launched and how WhatsApp third-party chat support is coming to EU users in phases, rather than all at once. One signal that a broader rollout may be accelerating: Threads users have recently reported access to a Liquid Glass-looking bottom navigation bar and the iOS 26 keyboard, suggesting Meta’s cross-platform development strategy may be preparing to speed up rollouts across its applications. The fact that the Mac redesign is not yet in beta testing indicates a realistic timeline of several months before a public release.
