After video call and sending selfie name started to spin wtf??
byu/zloetelo inwhatsapp
WhatsApp has a new trick up its sleeve, but it’s probably not one the developers meant to ship. Users are spotting a bizarre UI bug where chat headers (the area containing a contact’s name and profile picture) start randomly spinning in a full circle.
It looks less like a messaging app and more like a loading screen gone rogue. I’ve seen a few reports of this “barrel roll” effect surfacing on Reddit, with users capturing videos of their chat headers rotating like a pinwheel.
One user, zloetelo, shared a clip showing the name spinning rapidly after a video call and a selfie were sent. It’s a surreal sight, and one commenter joked about it, saying, “WhatsApp’s been drinking again.”
This reminds me of Google’s own Easter Egg on Search, which involves searching for “do a barrel roll” and then seeing the whole Search page take a spin. Though this is likely just a CSS or UI class error where a loading animation property got stuck to the wrong element (I could be wrong).
I’m seeing these reports pop up across multiple threads, including posts from users Wise_Actuary1194 and ymmcomp. Most victims say the spinning starts right after high-resource tasks like finishing a call or processing media.
The visual itself is clean, which is why some are asking if it’s a hidden holiday Easter egg. The text and the icon stay perfectly centered while they rotate, suggesting the app’s layout engine is working exactly as intended, just with the wrong instructions.
Another thing worth poiting out is that all three recordings are from folks on iPhones with WhatsApp for iOS. However, I haven’t been able to reproduce this effect/glitch on my end on an iPhone 16 with the latest WhatsApp update.
It’s been a rough month for the platform’s interface. We recently saw WhatsApp face backlash after it killed permanent bios in favor of timed statuses, leaving many users frustrated.
We’ve also tracked issues with WhatsApp Business QR codes failing and a necessary Desktop update to fix RAM usage. This spinning header is just the latest entry in a series of strange software hiccups.
We’ll have to wait and see if Meta acknowledges this as a feature or quietly patches it out in the next beta. For now, enjoy the show if your headers decide to take a lap.
Dwayne Cubbins
1855 Posts
My fascination with Android phones began the moment I got my hands on one. Since then, I've been on a journey to decode the ever-evolving tech landscape, fueled by a passion for both the "how" and the "why." Since 2018, I've been crafting content that empowers users and demystifies the tech world. From in-depth how-to guides that unlock your phone's potential to breaking news based on original research, I strive to make tech accessible and engaging.