KakaoTalk’s biggest update in 15 years sparks backlash over Instagram-style revamp

KakaoTalk's redesigned interface (left) shows the friends list in a feed-style tab (Kakao Corp.)

KakaoTalk’s largest revamp in 15 years was meant to modernize the app — but the Instagram-style makeover has left many users angry, calling it cluttered and unrecognizable.

Some users welcomed features such as clearer separation of unread chats, but many bristled at the new feed-style friends tab with oversized profile photos, saying the update stripped KakaoTalk of its identity.

“I tried not to update KakaoTalk, but is it right to change it without the user’s consent?” 23-year-old South Korean rapper Lee Young-ji wrote on her fan communication platform Bubble on Thursday, complaining about the automatic update. “This should not be allowed. It looks ugly.”

Lee's complaint is echoed among users, and online posts sharing ways to block automatic updates are going viral.

Much of the criticism has focused on the feed-style display, resembling the popular social platform Instagram. Unlike Instagram, which is often used for private social connections, KakaoTalk is widely used for work connections in Korea, leading some to say the new interface feels "intrusive."

"I already have Instagram where I share my daily life with my close friends. I don’t need another photo-sharing app, nor do I want to see my landlady's profile photo, my boss at the gym or the baby of a friend I have not spoken to in years," said Kim Bitirang, a 34-year-old office worker in Seoul.

Kim said the new friends tab lists profiles chronologically by update rather than by importance or closeness, and that "the scrolling is endless," prompting her to avoid the feature altogether.

Hong Min-taek, Kakao’s chief product officer, speaks during the If Kakao 2025 conference at the company’s AI campus in Yongin, Tuesday. (Kakao)

Kakao also added new features in the revamp, including on-device AI powered by ChatGPT. A dedicated tab within KakaoTalk gives direct access to OpenAI's chatbot and allows users to connect with Kakao services such as reservations, gifting and music streaming — all within the flow of messenger chats.

Other features include chatroom folders, message editing and short-form video creation, with the rollout being carried out gradually across devices, Kakao said.

Kakao CEO Chung Sin-a also said after the company's If Kakao keynote that the overhaul was intended to provide "a more convenient environment for users," acknowledging that "some may feel discomfort after the update."

The update comes as KakaoTalk witnesses signs of waning engagement, despite the app recording 49.1 million monthly active users in the second quarter, nearly the size of South Korea's entire population. Data from Mobile Index showed the average monthly time spent per user dropped to 674 minutes as of August, down 16 percent from 800 minutes in July 2021.

Kwak Geum-joo, a professor of psychology at Seoul National University, stressed how KakaoTalk's role has been a channel for communication, not a playground like Instagram.

"The messenger app is not just for family and friends, but also widely used for work, which is why features like 'quietly leaving a group chat' even exist. People do not want to share personal lives with everyone or see those of distant acquaintances," Kwak said.

"If a messenger becomes too complicated, people simply stop using it. Users may adapt over time, but whether this update helps Kakao regain its past momentum or makes things worse remains to be seen."

Experts also expressed disappointment over the lack of Kakao's own technological improvement in the revamp, despite its promotion of new AI features.

"Kakao's use of artificial intelligence in the update relied more on external application programming interfaces such as OpenAI than on in-house development," said Lee Kyoung-jun, a big data analytics professor at Kyung Hee University. "It shows little of Kakao's own AI experience or technological differentiation."

Still, some features have won praise, including options to edit messages after being sent, and the ability to organize chats into up to 10 folders.

“I do like how you can make different folders of friends and chatrooms, so that you can hide the chats that are less important,” Hwangbo Kyung-sun, a Seoul resident, said.

The shares of KakaoTalk operator, Kakao Corp., fell 4.67 percent to close at 63,300 won ($45) on Tuesday, the day the overhaul was announced. On Friday, Kakao shares closed at 59,300 won, down 6.17 percent from the previous session.