WhatsApp is testing a redesigned message bubble layout in its latest iOS TestFlight build, bringing rounder corners and borderless media display to the chat screen for the first time in years. WABetaInfo, which spotted references to the redesign in code back in May 2026, reports that the changes are now reaching select users running version 26.29.10.70.
The chat bubbles are significantly more rounded than before, landing closer to iMessage’s aesthetic than WhatsApp has ever been on iOS. Media attachments, including photos, videos, GIFs, and link previews, no longer carry the green outline that used to frame them. The content still appears in a bubble-shaped container, but without the border, it sits more naturally inside the conversation flow.
WhatsApp has offered chat themes for years, but the actual bubble geometry never changed. As iMessage, Signal, and other apps updated their look, WhatsApp’s chat screen started to age visibly. These rounded bubbles are the fix that should have arrived a couple of years ago.
The borderless media treatment is a smaller but noticeable improvement. Removing the green outline from photos and link cards makes the conversation feel less cluttered, particularly in threads with a lot of shared content. It is the kind of change you notice immediately and then stop noticing, which is exactly how good interface refinement works.
Part of a larger 2026 overhaul
This is not a standalone update as Meta has pushed through a wave of WhatsApp changes on iOS this year:
- Liquid Glass redesign rolled out broadly in May 2026, covering the navigation bar, voice message player, in-chat interface, message reactions, and context menus
- Revamped chat lists interface, which began rolling out June 3, 2026
- Multi-account support on iPhone, which arrived June 11, 2026
- WhatsApp Plus paid subscription launched in May 2026
The bubble redesign completes the chat screen portion of that overhaul. The Liquid Glass update refreshed the chrome around the conversation; this update refreshes the conversation itself. Together they make the app look coherent in a way it has not for a while.
The new design is currently limited to TestFlight users on version 26.29.10.70. Some users on the stable App Store build may also see it, according to WABetaInfo. Given how quickly Meta has been shipping the rest of this year’s changes, a general release is probably not far off.
