Shin-shin-a, CEO of Kakao, delivers a keynote speech at the “If Kakao” conference held at Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on September 23, 2025. (Kakao)
SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Kakao Corp. has moved to roll back a major redesign of its flagship messaging app, KakaoTalk, after a wave of user backlash forced one of the most unusual reversals in the app’s 15-year history.
According to industry officials on Monday, Kakao decided over the weekend to restore the original Friends list as the default landing page, scrapping its recently introduced Instagram-style feed that had triggered unprecedented levels of criticism.
The grid-style format, announced on Sept. 23 at the company’s developer conference, had sought to transform KakaoTalk from a utilitarian messenger into a broader social media hub.
But the overhaul quickly met with fury. Users complained that the redesigned Friends tab exposed too many personal updates from colleagues and casual acquaintances, while inserting intrusive ads that blurred the app’s identity as South Korea’s indispensable messenger.
Online forums filled with instructions on how to disable automatic updates, while app stores were flooded with one-star reviews.
Criticism escalated to the point where Kakao’s chief product officer, Hong Min-taek, came under heavy fire on social media, with calls for the company to restore the app’s core functions. Kakao’s share price dropped below 60,000 won, sinking more than 10 percent in the days following the rollout.
In a bid to stem the fallout, Kakao issued a minor patch that enlarged status messages to reduce the dominance of the grid feed, but the move failed to calm users. Ultimately, the company conceded to demands: the feed will be shifted into a separate “news” menu within the Friends tab, while the original list of contacts returns to the first screen.
The reversal marks the first time Kakao has effectively undone an update within a week of release. The company said the changes will be applied during the fourth quarter.
Separately, Kakao also announced new safeguards for minors after parents criticized unrestricted access to short-form content. A protection request feature has been added to the app’s “Now” tab, with further controls to follow.
“Beyond the Friends tab, we are continuing work on user experience improvements,” a Kakao spokesperson said. “We will keep listening to feedback to ensure KakaoTalk remains convenient and reliable for everyone.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
