WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion active users. One of the app’s most recognizable features is its bright green icon with a white phone receiver inside a white chat bubble. But did you know WhatsApp also has a yellow version of its icon that sometimes appears?
The History Behind WhatsApp’s Icon
WhatsApp was created in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, former employees of Yahoo. When designing the app, they wanted an icon that was simple but eye-catching. They experimented with different colors and settled on the bright green that is now universally associated with WhatsApp.
According to an interview with WhatsApp’s head designer, the reason they chose green is that it represented new beginnings and bringing people together. The white phone and chat bubble emphasize the app’s focus on messaging. The iconic WhatsApp icon has remained essentially unchanged since the app launched over a decade ago.
Why a Yellow Version Exists
While green is the default color, WhatsApp does have a yellow version of its app icon that sometimes appears on people’s phones. There are a couple reasons why you may see the yellow icon:
On Android devices
On Android phones and tablets, WhatsApp will turn yellow when a new message notification is received. The yellow color serves as an alert to catch your attention when new messages are waiting to be read. Once you open the app and view the new messages, the icon will revert to its normal green color.
On iOS devices
On iPhones and iPads, a yellow WhatsApp icon indicates that the app has recently crashed or closed unexpectedly. iOS changes the app icon color as a way to notify users that the app did not close properly the last time it was open. After successfully launching WhatsApp the next time, the yellow icon will go back to green.
Link previews in chats
Within WhatsApp chats themselves, any web link or URL shared will display a preview pop-up with the page’s title, description, and favicon (the tiny icon next to a website’s name in a browser tab). Some websites use yellow as their favicon color, so when their link is previewed in a WhatsApp chat, it will show a mini yellow WhatsApp icon next to it.
The Meaning Behind the Yellow Icon
Yellow is commonly associated with warning, caution, and needing attention. This is precisely why WhatsApp chose the yellow icon to signify important alerts for its users. Seeing that bright yellow WhatsApp logo informs you at a glance that something requires your awareness before opening the app.
While not as commonly seen as the classic green icon, the yellow version still plays an important role in WhatsApp’s user experience. It provides an instantly recognizable visual cue that encourages users to engage with new messages or address app issues to ensure smooth functioning.
Different WhatsApp Icons Around the World
It’s worth noting that the WhatsApp icon occasionally appears in different colors as part of specialized marketing campaigns and country-specific initiatives. Here are some examples:
- Red (India): In 2019, WhatsApp unveiled a custom red icon for India as part of a campaign focused on blood donation. The temporary red logo encouraged users to share their health status on the app and signal availability for blood donations.
- White (Argentina): In Argentina in May 2020, WhatsApp introduced a white version of its icon with a blue outline as part of an effort from phone carriers to encourage data donations to the COVID-19 monitoring and diagnosis initiative CoronApp.
- Blue (Brazil): For Brazil’s municipal elections in 2016, WhatsApp temporarily replaced its icon with a blue version. The change encouraged users to share material that promoted civic participation.
These location-based exceptions prove that WhatsApp is not afraid to change up its iconic branding when it aligns with important initiatives. But outside of special promotional campaigns, users can still count on that signature green — or sometimes yellow — icon across the world.
Putting the Yellow Icon in Context
The WhatsApp yellow icon is more than just a logo change. It provides valuable user experience benefits:
| Function | Benefit |
|---|---|
| New message notification on Android | Alerts users to unread messages at a glance |
| App crash or issue on iOS | Signals to users that the app needs attention |
| Link previews in chats | Identifies external websites being referenced |
No matter why that pop of yellow appears, it serves a valuable purpose. It grabs your attention and reminds you to open WhatsApp to see what’s new.
Conclusion
WhatsApp’s bright green icon may be known around the world, but the yellow version is more than just a palette swap. Yellow was carefully chosen by WhatsApp’s designers to indicate important notifications and alerts that deserve user attention. So the next time you spot that yellow WhatsApp logo, take it as an encouraging cue to open the app, catch up with your contacts, and turn that yellow back to green again.