Meta has started the testing phase of a new interface for the WhatsApp application on macOS, incorporating the visual language known as Liquid Glass. The update changes the aesthetics of the platform on Apple computers and introduces new privacy tools to the desktop system. The WABetaInfo portal identified the changes in beta version 26.17.10.70 of the messenger. The company’s strategy seeks to standardize the user experience between different operating systems.
The redesign of the application brings the desktop version closer to the appearance already used on mobile devices. The most visible change occurs in the navigation sidebar, which abandons the minimalist format based only on icons. The new structure adds text labels next to each shortcut, making sections easier to identify. The message typing bar and the attachments menu also underwent structural redesigns on the main conversation screen.
Adoção of the Liquid Glass pattern on Apple computers
The implementation of the Liquid Glass language on macOS represents a profound change in the way users interact with WhatsApp on the desktop. The design features translucent elements and floating menus that adapt to the operating system’s light or dark theme. Mac’s chat interface received the visual update even before the iPhone, indicating a priority in the development of the computer version. Developers seek to optimize usability for those using larger screens and peripherals such as mice and keyboards.
The visual transition eliminates hard edges and adopts rounded corners in text boxes and message bubbles. The attachments menu, used to send photos, documents and contacts, has a more spaced and intuitive grid layout. The sidebar with explanatory texts reduces the learning curve for new users of the desktop platform. The native application for Mac, recently rebuilt with modern technologies to abandon the old web-based architecture, now gains its definitive identity.
Integração visual across mobile and desktop ecosystems
Meta’s movement has as its ultimate objective the complete unification of WhatsApp’s visual language on iOS, macOS and iPadOS systems. The company works to create an imperceptible transition when the user switches from a smartphone to a computer or tablet. Aesthetic consistency reduces design fragmentation, a historical problem with the messenger in its different versions over the years. The Liquid Glass standard acts as the visual link between all platforms in the Apple ecosystem.
Standardization requires software engineers to adapt visual components to different screen sizes and input methods. On iPadOS, the app takes advantage of the extra space to display the conversation list and active chat simultaneously. On macOS, the logic is repeated, but with specific keyboard shortcuts and native support for dragging and dropping files. The current beta release demonstrates that Meta has managed to align the code base to facilitate concurrent updates in the future.
Chegada blocking conversations to Mac devices
The WhatsApp update for macOS is not limited to aesthetic changes and introduces the locked conversations feature. The feature allows users to isolate specific chats in a folder protected by an extra layer of security. The tool was already available on smartphone applications and is now available on Apple computers. Implementation on the desktop meets a long-standing demand from people who share computers in work or home environments.
The blocking operation on the Mac follows the same security logic applied on the iPhone, where access requires the Face ID or the device’s password. In the desktop environment, authentication occurs using the system password or the Touch ID fingerprint reader, present on Apple keyboards and notebooks. The protection mechanic changes the application’s default behavior in several ways:
- Protected conversations immediately disappear from the main list of active chats.
- The application creates a hidden tab that requires biometric authentication or a password to be revealed.
- Notifications for new messages in these chats do not display the sender’s name or text content.
- Media received in locked conversations is not automatically saved to the device’s gallery.
- Lock synchronizes protection status between the main phone and connected devices.
Lock synchronization across devices resolves a previous privacy flaw in the cross-platform system. Antes of this update, a conversation locked on the smartphone remained visible and accessible in active WhatsApp Web sessions or in outdated desktop applications. The new security architecture ensures that protection extends to all access points linked to the user account.
Evolução security and privacy in Meta messenger
The introduction of locked conversations on macOS is part of a broader suite of privacy tools developed by Meta. WhatsApp maintains end-to-end encryption as the core of its security architecture, ensuring that only the sender and recipient read messages. The multi-device capability, introduced in recent years, has required a complex restructuring of the way encryption keys are managed. Cada connected device now has its own identity key, securely linked to the main phone.
The platform recently added other control options, such as muting calls from unknown numbers and step-by-step privacy verification. IP address protection during voice and video calls has also been implemented to prevent users’ locations from being tracked by malicious actors. Blocking desktop conversations complements this protection ecosystem, focusing on the physical security of the device against unauthorized access by people nearby.
Próximos steps towards stable version of the application
Beta version 26.17.10.70 remains restricted to a select group of testers enrolled in Apple’s TestFlight program. Meta engineers monitor application performance, memory consumption, and stability of the new Liquid Glass interface. The feedback collected at this stage determines the release schedule for the final version to the general public. Falhas graphics rendering or locked chat synchronization issues need to be fixed before mass distribution.
WhatsApp’s update history indicates that features tested in the beta version usually reach the stable version within a period of a few weeks to a few months. Mac users who do not participate in the testing program will continue to use the old interface until the update is released on App Store or on the company’s official website. Meta maintains continuous development to ensure the transition to the new design occurs without data loss or service interruption for its millions of daily users.