WhatsApp reverted a minor design adjustment that caused uproar among users.

WhatsApp is set to reverse a controversial recent tweak to its design, which some users found unsettling. The alteration involved capitalizing the words “online” and “typing” in the indicators, a seemingly small adjustment that nonetheless elicited significant dissatisfaction from users.

Many expressed their displeasure with the new appearance, with some finding it “icky” and others simply confused by the change. The closer proximity of the capitalized letters to the small profile images of online users or those typing also drew complaints about the visual aspect of the design.

The company revealed to The Independent that this change was actually a test conducted with a limited number of users and assured that it would be reverted. However, details such as the number of users involved in the test and the timeline for reversing the change were not disclosed.

WhatsApp often experiments with new features or designs through tests before implementing them widely, and in this case, it seems the test did not receive positive feedback from users. The switch to capital letters also diverged from the norm observed in other messaging apps, where similar messages typically appear in lowercase.

Despite its initial rollout across some versions of the app on Android and iOS, the change did not reach all users, and it was absent from the web and desktop versions. The decision to reverse the change came after widespread criticism and confusion among users, signaling a return to the previous design.