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Kakao reverts back to list-style 'Friends' tab after intense backlash

Published: 16 Dec. 2025, 16:03 Updated: 16 Dec. 2025, 19:43

The photo shows an example of KakaoTalk’s restored "Friends" tab, left, which displays a direct contacts list following a new update on Dec. 16. The update reverts back from the grid-style feed introduced in September. The right shows the "Feed" tab, a scrolling feed of profile photos. [KAKAO]

No more surprise selfies of ex-partners. No more seething at a boss’s vacation photos. KakaoTalk on Tuesday rolled back its newly introduced feed-style contacts tab after strong user pushback against the update to Korea’s largest messaging app, used for both professional and personal communication.

The app will now default to a list-style Friends tab instead of a scrolling feed of profile photos, developer Kakao said Tuesday.

The Friends tab, located on the far left of the app, has been split into two options at the top: “Friends” and “Feed.” The Friends option shows a standard contact list arranged by name, while the Feed option allows users to view the feed-style layout if they choose.

KakaoTalk introduced the feed-style Friends tab in September during If Kakao, the company’s annual developer conference, as part of a major redesign of the app.

The update replaced the longstanding directory-style list of names with a vertically scrolling feed similar to those used by social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, mixing profile photos with promotional content.

The change quickly sparked complaints from users, many of whom said the design forced them to view profile photos they had no interest in seeing.

Online criticism spread across social media and app marketplaces, where users posted one-star reviews on Google Play and Apple’s App Store in protest.

Kakao decided later in September to reverse course. Hong Min-taek, Kakao’s chief product officer, said in an internal notice that “the feed exposure in the Friends tab was the biggest point of discomfort,” adding that the company moved to revise the design after receiving extensive negative feedback from users.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-JEONG [[email protected]]