Backlash hits KakaoTalk hard after Instagram-style revamp

KakaoTalk users are expressing immense dissatisfaction with the latest app update, and the most popular messenger app in South Korea is facing a massive backlash after it attempted to revamp its format to an Instagram-style one.

One user stated, "I'm really stressed because I have to keep seeing my boss's face. I'm not even close to them, and their face keeps popping up for four hours straight every time I open KakaoTalk."

Many KakaoTalk users are expressing similar complaints towards the latest app update. KakaoTalk is the national messenger app used by over 49 million people in South Korea, and the backlash continues to intensify.

Kakao has been rolling out the updates sequentially to users since the afternoon of September 23, but public opinion has worsened as more users update the app. While some users have reacted positively, the majority strongly oppose the 'Friends' tab being changed to resemble 'Instagram'. 

They are reacting strongly to their KakaoTalk home screen being filled with posts from people they know professionally, such as work colleagues, business contacts, daycare teachers, water purifier/bidet inspectors, and small business owners.

One office worker in his 30s explained how startled he was when he opened the app one morning. He shared how his existing friends list on the first screen was suddenly replaced with a large selfie photo of a stranger. He explained, "I checked my phone book and realized the number was saved under the name of someone I met for work a long time ago," adding, "That person must've changed their number, and a selfie of the new person using that number appeared." The photo finally disappeared from his KakaoTalk homescreen three hours later. Another office worker shared, "I was flustered when I opened the KakaoTalk app in the morning and saw a picture of seaweed soup that a friend had eaten, appearing large as a billboard."

Online, a stream of astonished, dissatisfied, and satirical reviews continues, with comments like, "Do Kakao employees really want to see their bosses' faces that big?" and "This isn't an improvement; it's a deterioration." An IT industry source stated, "It is difficult to find a precedent in South Korea's IT history where a service revamp has faced such a strong headwind," adding, "Kakao, which overhauled KakaoTalk for the first time in 15 years, is in a tight spot."

The absurd dramas caused by the KakaoTalk revamp do not end there. Kakao had expected that changing the Friends tab to resemble Instagram would encourage users to post continuously, thereby increasing their time spent on the app. However, users are reacting differently. One user said, "Seeing the faces of people I barely remember appear so prominently makes me reluctant to change my profile picture myself, because I don't want someone else to have to suffer the same way."

It has also become difficult to upload vacation photos, which was one of the advantages of the KakaoTalk profile pictures. One office worker said, "It's unsettling to think that the vacation photo I posted might continuously appear on someone else's KakaoTalk home screen." Users can 'hide' a friend if they do not want to see their posts. Users are commenting, "They claim the revamp was to enhance communication, but it actually seems to be blocking it."

There are also growing calls for Kakao to change the service to allow users to choose the existing phonebook-style interface. One user commented, "Do they think KakaoTalk friends are real friends? People who want to use Instagram with their friends use Instagram, not KakaoTalk." Another user stated, "A chat app should just focus on chatting, but forcing social media features on us is absurd, tyrannical behavior by a giant platform."

The third tab of Kakao's revamp is also facing criticism. With this update, the 'Open Chat' tab was renamed to the 'Now' tab, and tapping it immediately displays short-form content. This is a strategy to compete with platforms like TikTok and YouTube, which attract users with short-form content.

Parents are expressing concern over the newly added short-form video feature. They had previously controlled their children's access to highly addictive short-form content on other apps. However, now that it has been included as a default feature in KakaoTalk, an app their children have long used, it has become difficult to prevent their exposure.

A parent with an elementary school child said, "My child came home from school saying KakaoTalk was strange, and I was shocked to find short-form videos," adding, "We've restricted short-form content to protect our child's mental health, but now I think I might have to delete KakaoTalk from their phone." Another parent said, "In educational settings, many classrooms operate group communication through Open Chat rooms on KakaoTalk. I looked for a way to remove the short-form feature but couldn't find one." Posts complaining about the introduction of short-form videos in KakaoTalk are continuously appearing on parent communities.

Experts have pointed out that short-form content can negatively affect adolescents' mental health, potentially causing emotional instability, depression, and decreased attention span, emphasizing the need for caution. In mid-September, a French parliamentary investigative committee concluded after a six-month investigation into the harmfulness of the short-form platform TikTok, with all 28 committee members unanimously agreeing that it is "one of the worst social media platforms threatening teenagers."

A Kakao official stated, "While there is no direct feature to turn off short-form videos within the app, legal guardians can restrict their children's access by verifying both their and their child's phones on Kakao's customer service page, submitting an email, inquiry details, and a family relationship certificate. This protective measure is applied for one year from the start date and must be renewed annually," adding, "This is the same as the existing operating principles for Open Chat rooms."

The online rage is increasing as more users are updating the app. With the addition of the short-form video feature, KakaoTalk has also added full-page ads to the app. Many users are angered as Kakao has previously expressed that it will not divert to ads. These users have already been dissatisfied with the ads in the previous update and are now angered by the excessive addition of the feature. Now, many users are discussing finding a new messenger platform.

Netizens are commenting:

"I don't even want to stay on the app more than 1 minute."

"KakaoTalk is going under too."

"Time to look for another messenger app."

"I don't even want to open the app anymore."

"I'll be using Instagram DM now."

"Why would we use KakaoTalk when we have Instagram?"

"This was the dumbest update ever."

"People will be moving out of the app."

"Might as well move to Telegram."

"I will boycott Kakao now."

"They said they are not poor, so they don't need to do ads. Are they poor now?"

"Someone make a better messenger app."

"Unless it's a group chat for meeting friends, no one uses KakaoTalk anymore."

"I turned off the auto update. lol."

"KakaoTalk is going under now."

"There was no other messenger app to use, so people were on Kakao. But I guess we're going to stop using it altogether."

"I uninstalled it."

"They're so money hungry. They already added the useless ad feature. But the ads are bigger now."

"I think it's time there's a new messenger app that needs to be developed."