Hi everyone, The first phase of the new Spectrum redesign is now live! This update introduces a cleaner, more modern experience designed to make Spectrum easier to navigate, easier to read, and better suited to the community it serves. Phase 1 lays the foundation, and this is only the beginning. We’ll continue refining and expanding Spectrum in the updates ahead. What's New in Phase 1 You’ll notice Spectrum looks a little different today. Phase 1 refreshes the core experience with an updated layout, a redesigned sidebar for communities, bookmarks, and navigation, and updates to the Star Citizen community page. A New Home for Your Direct Messages Direct Messages now have a dedicated panel accessible from the top navigation bar, keeping your conversations just one click away wherever you are on Spectrum. Spectrum on Mobile, Refreshed Spectrum’s mobile experience has also received a refresh, with a dedicated navigation bar that keeps key destinations within easy reach. Community pages and lobbies are now easier to browse, with a cleaner experience that feels more consistent with desktop. This is Just the Beginning Phase 1 lays the foundation. Throughout 2026, we’ll continue rolling out the redesign across Spectrum, with threads and messages coming next. This is about more than a new look. Each phase will introduce meaningful quality-of-life improvements, including better Markdown support, richer formatting options, and more ways to bring structure and personality to your posts. We want Spectrum to be a place you enjoy contributing to, not just catching up on. We Want to Hear From You Before we finalize the quality-of-life improvements coming to threads and messages, we want to hear what would make the biggest difference to your experience on Spectrum. Share your ideas in the comments below. Whether it’s better formatting tools, improved Markdown support, new messaging features, or something else entirely, we’re reading. While we can’t make any promises, your feedback will help shape what we prioritize next. Thread Update on July 24th Messages & notifications: Fixed an issue where new direct message notifications weren't including all the info needed to display properly. Fixed the unread message counter incorrectly going up when you sent a message yourself for some users. Fixed blocked users being able to trigger "new activity" alerts even though they were blocked. Things not updating right away: Fixed groups, categories, and chat rooms not showing changes immediately after you created, edited, or deleted them. Previously you'd need to refresh the page to see updates. Fixed collapsed forum sections not staying collapsed, they'd reset instead of remembering your preference. Visual glitches: Fixed bookmarked lobbies missing their "#" symbol in the sidebar. Fixed organization names with special characters (like ampersands) displaying incorrectly instead of showing the proper text. Mobile display issues: Fixed the pending friend requests panel being hidden behind the bottom navigation bar. Fixed profile popups appearing behind the Friends sidebar instead of on top of it. Fixed some content getting cut off on the right side of the screen on certain phone sizes.