The team working on WhatsApp have finally updated to the new OS UI, changing the app from one of the most ugly on the Apps Store (in terms of usage) to a boring regular UI, taking almost every feature from Apple’s own contracts page and making sure it is completely in line with all standards.
We can agree this is good for an app programmer to work towards, instead of going off on a tangent and using complex code that cannot be implemented well on the platform or does not create consistency can lead to confusion, but we would have loved to see WhatsApp really shine in the design department for once.
The two features setting WhatsApp away are the five newly designed buttons at the bottom: Favorites, Status, Contacts, Chats, Settings. iOS7 is getting a lot of transparent icons to show different pages and some look incredibly well put together, even if they are just basic.
WhatsApp has also added textured background when typing a message, instead of having white on white on even more white. It is a nice change from the sea of bright colors on iOS7. In terms of contacts, WhatsApp has taken the chat-heads from iOS7 with the same contact information.
Overall, it is a well requested UI overhaul, but it does not change WhatsApp rather timid view on design. Where Yahoo! Weather and other apps will make a huge change to the user experience, WhatsApp likes making the most accessible app in the world, even if it is dull and boring.