Trading 212
will reverse its controversial portfolio redesign next month after users
flooded the company’s forums and social media with complaints about the new
interface, marking a rare retreat for the UK-based broker.
Trading 212 Scraps
Portfolio Redesign After User Revolt
The company
rolled out the redesign around mid-December, introducing a bubble-style layout
that sparked immediate backlash from retail investors who said the changes
buried critical information and made the app harder to navigate. Within 10
days, Trading 212 announced it would restore the previous version.
“We
appreciate your feedback on the portfolio redesign and understand the concerns
it raised,” KrisG, a Trading 212 representative, wrote in the company’s
community forum on December 24. “Based on what we’ve heard, we’ll be
rolling out an update in January that brings back the previous layout.”
Reddit user Vendor_BBMC posted a screenshot from the mobile app showing what the “Portfolio” tab looks like after the changes. Unfortunately, FinanceMagnates.com did not find a screenshot of the earlier version for comparison.
In the meantime, the company’s former COO launched a fractional shares and commission-free trading app for retail traders, combining Investing.one and MyInsider.app.
Bubble Design Drew Fire
Over Screen Space
The new
design replaced a straightforward list view with rounded cards and pull-up
menus that users said wasted screen space and required extra taps to access
basic information. Portfolio holdings were hidden behind a search bar instead
of appearing immediately when users opened the app.
“Why
is information split into multiple bubble-style windows?” wrote user
Minmax77 on December 14 in a post that received 65 likes. “The borders,
padding, and background gaps take up more room than the actual content. Instead
of a clean, compact layout, everything is spread out into small ‘islands’ of
information surrounded by empty space.”
Users
singled out specific functionality losses. The portfolio value graph removed
axis numbers, pending orders no longer showed cash allocation amounts, and the
interface stopped respecting user color theme preferences. One user created an
account solely to complain, choosing the username
“IHateTheNewLayout.”
“The
app feels completely unserious. Who creates charts without a Y-axis?”
wrote user NakamuraRTS on December 16. “People are using your app to
deploy their life savings. Do better in 2026.”
Traders Threaten Platform
Switch
Multiple
users said the changes prompted them to explore rival brokers, a threat that
appears to have caught Trading 212’s attention. The complaints spread beyond
the company’s official forum to Reddit and app store reviews, where users
coordinated negative feedback campaigns.
“This
new designe is terrible. It is really dealbreaker for me and Iam thinking about
switching to another broker,” user Anibohovi wrote on December 15.
User Vladel captured the frustration on December 17, writing: “Honestly I can’t imagine anyone thinking this was a good idea. Why are 212 intentionally making it harder to find information? Now going from home to portfolio I can’t now instantly see all the information I could before, why would you do that?? It’s like you’re intentionally trying to anger your users.”
Another
user who goes by mbaat said Trading 212 support initially dismissed the
concerns. “I have contacted support yesterday and they said that this was
a business decision and that there are no plans of reverting the changes,”
mbaat wrote on December 18. Days later, the company announced the reversal.
Company Acknowledges
Design Missteps
Trading 212
team members began responding to complaints on December 16, acknowledging the
problems.
“We’re
actively reviewing all the feedback we’ve received and have already identified
a few areas that need improvement based on your comments,” wrote Bogi.H,
another company representative.
By December
19, the company pushed minor fixes, including restoring the ability to tap
pending orders to open instrument pages. But the changes didn’t satisfy users
demanding a complete rollback.
The
reversal announcement on December 24 drew relief from most users, though some
defended the modern aesthetic. User saifali argued Trading 212 should offer
both layouts. calling them “Modern” and “Legacy” versions –
to allow continued innovation while preserving user choice.
“There
will always be a group of people who will not like the new design, that’s just
how it is, but design evolves and so does the taste of people,” saifali
wrote on December 25.
Pattern Of Interface
Complaints
The
December redesign wasn’t Trading 212’s first brush with user interface
backlash. Earlier in 2025, the company made changes to its home screen that
moved watchlists into pull-up tabs, drawing similar complaints about reduced
functionality.
Several
users called for Trading 212 to establish a beta testing program with community
members before rolling out major interface changes.
“Push
out changes first to a beta branch with limited participation and collect
feedback, make the necessary improvements before rolling this out to
everyone,” user cosmic90 suggested on December 17.
Trading 212
hasn’t specified exactly when in January the rollback will occur or whether it
will implement user testing for future updates.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
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