WhatsApp reverses change in u-turn after users said they were 'outraged'

WhatsApp has made a major U-turn after users complained about a minor app change. WhatsApp has reversed a tiny design change that left users "outraged" as the Meta-owned messaging app altered the "online" and "typing" indicators.

“WhatsApp changing the online status from online to Online has sent me west…….why upset me like this,” one Twitter/X user posted while a second asked: "Why is this bothering me so much?" A third branded the change and shake-up "Icky".

WhatsApp has told The Independent that the change was a test with a limited number of users – and that it will be reversed. The change saw the status under contacts’ names in individual chats had changed from ‘online’ or ‘typing’ to capitalised ‘Online’ or ‘Typing’.

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“The decision of WhatsApp to introduce capitalisation and change online to Online, typing to Typing, etc, has been a lot more triggering than I expected,” one wrote. They added: “Honestly, I have no idea why I dislike it so much, but I do and I feel the need to put it out there.”

“Whatever party returns ‘online’ and ‘typing’ to lower case on WhatsApp will get my vote”, another typed. The Indepdendent reported: “Inside conversations on the app, users can see information about the status of the person they are talking to. It will indicate when they are “online”, or if they are “typing...”.

" Until recently, those messages did not include a capital letter. But in recent days, some users have found that the first letters of those messages have been swapped for capitals.” The change, which came to Android and iOS versions of the app alike, though not to all people, caused a big backlash.

Another said: "Anyone else notice WhatsApp have changed the typing and online part at the top and made it a capital letter?! 'Making my eye twitch."