[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] SEOUL, Aug. 20 — Kakao announced Tuesday that its flagship messenger KakaoTalk will unveil a major update introducing social networking features at the company’s annual developer conference, “if(kakao),” scheduled for next month.
The first tab, currently used as a simple friends list, will be redesigned into a feed-based service where users can share and discover daily updates. The refreshed tab will highlight improved profile features at the top, while the lower section will display a feed of friends’ shared content, birthday updates, and media such as photos and videos exchanged in group chats.
“With this revamp, KakaoTalk will evolve beyond a messenger into a platform that encompasses content discovery, exploration, and relationship-based social functions,” said Kakao CEO Shin Ji-shin during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
This is not KakaoTalk’s first experiment with social features; in 2023, the company introduced “Peng,” a service similar to Instagram’s 24-hour story function.
The move comes as KakaoTalk faces declining user engagement. According to Mobile Index data by IGAWorks, average monthly usage time per person has dropped from over 800 minutes in 2021 to 709.93 minutes as of July 2025. In comparison, Instagram users spend an average of 988.87 minutes per month, while X (formerly Twitter) records 980.98 minutes.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
