WhatsApp users have expressed frustration over a subtle but significant change to the app’s typing indicator.
The Meta-owned messaging platform has replaced the traditional “typing…” message with a speech bubble animation, showing three dots bouncing as the other person types, Daily Mail reported.
While the update may seem minor, it has sparked widespread complaints among users, many of whom took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their discontent. A user, Temilade Salami, posted, “WhatsApp needs to chill with these updates!” and another complained, “I despise WhatsApp so much.”
The reactions are similar to the reactions of WhatsApp users globally. A user on X said, “I hate the new WhatsApp typing box,” while another added, “Just realized the typing bubble is on WhatsApp now. That update caught me off guard.” A third user vented, “The new WhatsApp typing animation seems purposely designed to give me anxiety.”
This new feature closely resembles the typing indicator used in Apple’s iMessage, where three bouncing dots appear when someone is composing a message. The change was first tested with a small group of users in October, and a WhatsApp spokesperson initially stated that it was just a temporary experiment.
However, the reactions suggest that the update is now being rolled out to a wider audience, and while many users have criticized the animation, some have welcomed the change. One user tweeted, WhatsApp finally removed the ‘typing’ notification from the top and brought it downwards to where it belongs.” Others have expressed a more lighthearted take, with one joking, “Love the new typing indication in WhatsApp. But it would be more fun to see the number of characters being typed.”
The change follows WhatsApp’s earlier update, which angered users when it capitalized the words “Online” and “Typing” in chat headers earlier this year. While some have voiced irritation over the new feature, others have simply embraced it as part of WhatsApp’s ongoing evolution.
As the update continues to roll out, it remains to be seen if WhatsApp will listen to user feedback and make any adjustments, or if the speech bubble animation will become a permanent part of the app’s interface.
