The new bidirectional client compatibility feature in Apache Kafka allows for easier upgrades, enabling users to upgrade their clients first, rather than waiting for the brokers to be upgraded. This feature builds on backwards compatibility and removes limitations that previously required manual reconfiguration of clients when upgrading brokers. With improved client compatibility, administrators can continue running older brokers with newer clients for a longer period, reducing the need for frequent upgrades. The new feature is supported by brokers at version 0.10.0 or later and is enabled automatically in Java clients.