Startled While Checking Profiles: Users Flood KakaoTalk Update With Complaints, Saying "Stop Copying Instagram"

The latest KakaoTalk update has once again drawn criticism from users.

Users expressed dissatisfaction with the KakaoTalk update. Screenshot of KakaoTalk app

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According to the information and communications technology (ICT) industry on April 24, Kakao has recently begun rolling out KakaoTalk version 26.3.0, revamping the "Update Profile" feature in the Friends tab to resemble Instagram Stories.

When users tap the "Update Profile" marked with a red dot at the top of the friends list, they see posts in the Instagram Stories format. The post creator can also see who has viewed their posts.

Advertisements have been inserted between friends' profiles, and profile music is now structured as a separate post. Additionally, pressing and holding the screen no longer moves to the next post, mirroring the Instagram Stories user interaction.

Following the update, various online communities were flooded with concerns such as, "Can you really see who viewed your profile?", "I used to check my ex’s profile without hiding them on KakaoTalk, but now it pops up like Instagram Stories and it startled me," and "I tapped on an old acquaintance’s profile out of curiosity, but now I’m worried it will be recorded."

A KakaoTalk representative explained, "We improved the design so users can check their friends’ latest updates more intuitively," adding, "Even if you view someone’s update profile, no history will be recorded."

Last September, KakaoTalk introduced a feed-style user interface (UI) in the Friends tab, but rolled back some features after strong user backlash.

As updates continue to add features similar to Instagram, user dissatisfaction is mounting. One netizen commented, "KakaoTalk isn’t Instagram, so why does it keep trying to become Instagram?"

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