WhatsApp’s iPad app is getting another significant redesign, this time centered on navigation rather than visuals. As per the report from WABetaInfo, the company has started rolling out a new Mac-like sidebar to some iPad users, replacing the bottom tab bar that has served as the app’s default navigation method until now.
This latest update builds on a redesign effort that’s been unfolding gradually over the past year. WhatsApp first began adapting its iOS app for Apple’s Liquid Glass visual style last October, though the iPad version didn’t receive similar treatment until a limited beta test arrived this past June. That earlier update focused mainly on visual changes, bringing Liquid Glass-style tabs, buttons, and context menus to the app while keeping the same bottom tab bar iPhone users already know.
The new sidebar takes things a step further by reworking how people actually move around the app. Modeled after the layout already used in WhatsApp’s Mac app, it gives users quick access to sections like Chats, Updates, Communities, Calls, and Meta AI, all without needing to tap through a bottom bar. Users aren’t locked into keeping the sidebar visible either. Hiding it expands both the chat list and the conversation view toward the center of the screen, giving each section more breathing room for anyone who’d rather prioritize the conversation itself over quick navigation shortcuts.
Given how much screen space iPad displays typically offer, fitting a sidebar, chat list, and open conversation on one screen rarely causes any real crowding. Still, WhatsApp built in that flexibility for people who prefer a more focused, conversation-first layout rather than having every navigation option visible at all times.
Right now, access to the new sidebar remains limited. WABetaInfo says that it’s showing up for select beta testers on the latest TestFlight version, and stable version users on the App Store have started noticing it too. As with most WhatsApp features, the Sidebar rolling out to everyone will likely take some time, regardless of whether someone’s running the beta or stable build. Once it does arrive more broadly, though, iPad users should end up with a layout that fits the larger screen far better than the old bottom tab bar ever did.
