(Kakao Corp.)
(Kakao Corp.)

Kakao Corp. said Tuesday that it has begun rolling out an update to its messaging app KakaoTalk, reversing a controversial design change introduced three months ago and restoring the ability for users to view their Friends list directly from the Friends tab.

As the update is gradually applied, the Friends list will again appear as the default view when users open the Friends tab. This marks a shift away from the grid-style, Instagram-like feed introduced in September, which triggered strong user backlash.

Under the revised layout, the top of the Friends tab will offer two options — Friends and Updates. Users will be able to choose between a traditional alphabetical list of contacts and a feed-style view showing friends’ status updates.

The earlier redesign, launched to coincide with KakaoTalk’s 15th anniversary, replaced the familiar list with a visual grid highlighting profile photos and activity posts. While Kakao said the change was intended to boost user engagement, many users complained it flooded their home screens with personal updates from work contacts and acquaintances, blurring boundaries and raising privacy concerns.

The backlash intensified quickly, with KakaoTalk’s app-store rating plunging to as low as 1.0 on major platforms, prompting the company to move to restore the previous functionality through the phased update.


yeeun@heraldcorp.com