Navigation Bar: WhatsApp starts testing the bottom navigation bar again on Android

WhatsApp has once again started rolling out the navigation bar on Android with the latest beta update. WABetaInfo, a platform that keeps track of all the updates and changes on WhatsApp, has reported that several users from across the globe have once again started rolling out the iOS-like bottom navigation bar on Android in beta.

Navigation bar is making a comeback
It is important to note that this is not the first time WhatsApp on Android is getting the bottom navigation bar. A couple of months ago, WhatsApp rolled out the update in beta and then removed it in future updates.

With the latest beta version 2.23.13.9, the bottom navigation bar has made a comeback. We also checked for the same and it is now available for several beta users in our team.
What is this navigation bar?
If you’ve seen the WhatsApp app on iPhone, then you must have noticed a bottom navigation bar instead of the top tabs on Android. The tabs have been replaced with the bottom navigation bar which includes options like Chats, Status, Communities and Calls.
This looks interesting and modern. However, the redesign comes with a significant disadvantage. With this change, WhatsApp has also removed the swipe navigation gesture from the app. This means you can no longer swipe left or right to switch between different taps or options.
Availability
WhatsApp has tested this new bottom navigation bar previously and then it went on to disable this for a while. Now that it has made a comeback, we expect that it will make the cut to the stable build soon. That said, WhatsApp hasn’t confirmed anything officially as of now and it may take a couple of updates to arrive on the stable version of the app.