Tech Gadget Central Latest Tech News and Reviews
After testing with select users for a month, Tumblr is launching its new web browser. The new navigation interface moves Twitter’s navigation bar to the left, like X. The new look moves the compose button to the bottom left of the screen, like on X.
The company says it made the change to make Tumblr easier to understand and explore for new and existing users.
Tumblr wrote in a blog post that they used to add a new icon to our navigation with little explanation. “No one likes pressing a button they don’t understand. Where space allows, navigation now includes text labels. Since adding these, more of you are exploring Tumblr’s unexplored corners.”
Tumblr says it has incorporated user feedback from testing and made some changes to the new look. These changes include returning settings subpages (Account, Dashboard, etc.) to the right of the settings page instead of an expandable item in the navigation on the left, fixing messaging window issues on smaller screens, and streamlining the Account section to make it easier to access your blogs.
The platform is considering making this navigation collapsible and improving screen space for larger screens. The company is also improving account and sideblog access.
Tumblr gained users after Elon Musk took over Twitter (Now X) last November as users sought an alternative. Tumblr CEO Matt Mullenweg reported a 58% increase in iOS app downloads and 57% increase in Android in the first week of November.
TechCrunch saw data.ai show that Tumblr gained 880,000 iOS and Android installs in November, up from 450,000 and 500,000 in September and October. In the following months, its download numbers returned to normal (400,000–500,000 per month).
Tumblr may be trying to attract new users by resembling X since people are still looking for an alternative to Twitter. Many Tumblr users dislike the new change and have expressed their displeasure on X.
OHHHH TUMBLR CHANGED TO LOOK LIKE TWITTER. NOT GOOD NOT GOOD NOT GOOD pic.twitter.com/ZG4sFg8ccw
— Sophie 💖 (@sophiebaybey) July 19, 2023
The changes come weeks after Mullenweg revealed that Tumblr spends $30 million more than it makes. This isn’t surprising given Tumblr’s history. Yahoo bought TechCrunch’s 2007 founder for $1 billion in 2013. Automattic, which owns WordPress.com, bought Tumblr for $3 million in 2019.
Since its porn ban, Tumblr has struggled to grow its daily active users despite its loyal following. However, its users are very protective of the site’s culture, so even small changes can be unwelcome.
