Interface of the redesigned KakaoTalk



KakaoTalk, South Korea’s most widely used messaging app, made its first overhaul in September 2025, 15 years after launching. By integrating generative AI, the update sought to transform the platform from a purpose based messenger into a discovery-oriented service. The primary goal of this overhaul was to increase advertising revenue by extending the time users spend on the app. This shift follows a noticeable decline in KakaoTalk’s daily usage among people in their teens and twenties, who have increasingly turned to other social media and messaging platforms. The update introduced several key changes, including a social media–style interface, a redesigned Friends tab, thread functions, and fresh short-form features.



The Era of KakaoTalk Overdependence



With KakaoTalk’s overhaul, an amusing yet unfortunate situation spread online as many users searched for ways to cancel automatic updates. As of November 9, the app’s rating on the Play Store had dropped to 1.1, reflecting a strong backlash from users. In response, KakaoTalk took the unusual step of announcing it would roll back parts of the update by the end of 2025.



What caused such a strong reaction? The answer lies in South Korea’s overdependence on KakaoTalk. In many other countries, people use a variety of services such as WhatsApp or Instagram for messaging. In contrast, South Korea shows a much higher level of reliance on KakaoTalk. Several factors explain how KakaoTalk came to dominate in Korea.



The first reason is that KakaoTalk launched just as smartphones got popular, offering a free mobile messaging service. When it was released in 2010, KakaoTalk quickly replaced paid SMS services provided by mobile carriers and drew a large user base to the app.



The second reason is that KakaoTalk offers convenient and diverse features that align well with the Korean communication culture. For example, its friend list automatically updates using a user’s phone contacts, eliminating the need for a separate friend-adding process. Its group chat function, which allows multiple users to communicate simultaneously, also fits Korea’s active group-oriented social culture. These factors helped KakaoTalk gain widespread recognition and ultimately establish itself as the country’s main messaging app.



Aside from these factors, one of the most important reasons for KakaoTalk’s success was its simple server structure and easy-to-use interface, which provided stable service. This allowed the app to outperform and eventually replace competing messaging apps such as LINE.



For this reason, the recent KakaoTalk update naturally provoked a negative response from some users. Instead of simply offering one-to-one and group chat functions as before, the app has gained social media elements such as feeds, reactions, and public exposure. As a result, the interface became more complicated, and the app became heavier to use.



What about the Metrics?



People often avoid making changes due to fear of how others will respond. Although KakaoTalk’s update triggered strong backlash, the changes have resulted in longer user engagement time on the app. In addition, newly introduced features, including artificial intelligence services, reached two million users within just ten days. Jeongah Shin, CEO of Kakao, said that the rise in KakaoTalk’s usage time following the update was a meaningful change. Despite these positive metrics, KakaoTalk now faces the challenge of restoring user trust among those who were unhappy with the change.



Reporters



Hyewon Kim

happyhw2@seoultech.ac.kr



Hyeonseon Namgung

namgung0121@seoultech.ac.kr



Sua Lee

sualee7@g.seoultech.ac.kr