Seoul: Kakao Corp. announced plans to eliminate the recently introduced Instagram-style feed from its KakaoTalk messenger app, reinstating the original Friends tab format in response to widespread user dissatisfaction.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kakao revealed in a press release that the Friends tab will revert to a contact list format, and the feed of posts will be shifted to a new tab. These changes are set to be implemented within the fourth quarter, aligning with the company's development schedule. The overhaul of KakaoTalk's user interface, the first significant update in 15 years, was aimed at transforming the app from a simple messaging service into a broader social media platform. However, the update, which introduced a grid-style feed akin to Instagram, has faced backlash from users unhappy with the increase in personal updates and advertisements.
The redesign of the Friends tab into a format featuring friends' photos and posts, interspersed with advertisements, has drawn particular ire. Users have expressed concern that the new setup exposes too many personal updates from friends and colleagues, distracting from the app's primary purpose as a messaging service. Lee Eun-hee, a 46-year-old user, voiced her discomfort with seeing colleagues' personal schedules prominently displayed on the app, emphasizing that KakaoTalk is a critical tool for workplace communication across Korea.
Some users, like 43-year-old Kim Ju-yeon, have taken measures to avoid the update, disabling automatic updates on the advice of friends. The general sentiment among users is a preference for KakaoTalk's original, straightforward messaging functions. Feedback from a survey conducted by pxd, a Seoul-based IT service firm, indicates that approximately 42 percent of 1,000 app store reviews expressed dissatisfaction with the new version. Issues with the user interface and design were cited by 19 percent of respondents, while 10 percent highlighted problems with the Friends list and profile section.
The negative response has also impacted Kakao's market performance, with the company's shares dropping 4.67 percent on the day of the update's announcement and falling an additional 6.17 percent later in the week. In light of concerns about young users encountering inappropriate content on the new Short-form tab, Kakao has introduced more robust safeguards for underage users and released a minor update to refine the user interface based on initial feedback.