WhatsApp finally lets you ditch green bubbles—how to customize chats
What's the story
WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature to let you personalize your chat themes. The update, first spotted in September 2024 and tested with beta users in October 2024, is now available on the stable channel for both Android and iOS users. The feature provides eight different chat themes to choose from, giving you an opportunity to customize your experience more than just changing the background of a conversation.
User experience
Customization extends to chat bubbles and backgrounds
The new feature not just lets you change the background of your conversations but also the color of your chat bubbles. You can either choose one of the existing themes or create a unique one by mixing and matching different colors and backgrounds. This level of customization is aimed at improving user experience on the platform. However, the applied theme only changes the user's view without impacting the recipient's chat interface.
New additions
WhatsApp introduces new wallpapers and customization options
WhatsApp is also adding 30 new wallpapers for users to select as their conversation backgrounds. You can set a default theme for all chats or personalize each conversation with a different theme or background image. The chat theme option will be available under Settings > Chats > Default chat theme, making it easy to access for customization. Users can preview their chosen theme in light and dark modes, and choose whether to show elements on their background wallpaper or not.