Atlassian has launched a revamped pull request interface for Bitbucket Cloud aimed at streamlining code reviews. Featuring a tabular layout and dedicated diff views, the update focuses on improving navigation and contextual collaboration within pull requests.
- New tabular layout highlights recent activity on Overview tab
- Files changed tab optimized for focused, full-screen code review
- Old view retired starting June 10 as rollout completes
What happened
Atlassian rolled out a new design for pull requests on Bitbucket Cloud to enhance the code review experience. Key changes include moving the activity feed to a more prominent position on the Overview tab and introducing a dedicated Files changed tab that supports more natural and focused code reviews. The updated layout is influenced by the Bitbucket Data Center interface, offering familiarity to users of both products.
Users can view comments alongside the code context directly in the activity feed and seamlessly switch to the diff view when needed. The file tree navigation is relocated to the left panel, with options to collapse it for an undistracted review. Advanced viewing modes such as side-by-side diffs, whitespace hiding, and single-file loading aim to improve review precision and efficiency.
Why it matters
Code review is a critical step in software development for maintaining code quality and fostering collaboration. By streamlining navigation and making activity and comments easier to track, the new Bitbucket layout reduces friction and cognitive load for reviewers and authors alike.
Providing clearer context for discussions and flexible review modes supports different team workflows and preferences. The move to retire the old pull request page ensures that all users can benefit from consistent performance improvements and feature enhancements without the fragmentation of multiple interfaces.
What to watch next
The new pull request experience is initially available as an opt-in feature starting May 13 and will be fully rolled out by June 10. Users who need time to adjust can temporarily revert to the old view during this transition period. Atlassian encourages feedback and bug reports through Bitbucket's help menu to continuously refine the experience.