Google Messages will finally offer chat background and theme options. You can customize each conversation to your liking

The Google Messages app has long been one of the most understated communication services available for Android. Now, that’s changing. Google has officially launched custom themes and backgrounds for individual chats, so you can finally customize each conversation to your liking.

Customize your color palette and chat background

This new feature always applies to one specific conversation. You change two things within it: the color of bubbles and some interface elements, and the chat background wallpaper. You don’t have to use your own image – there’s a gallery of pre-made backgrounds divided into categories like Animals, Landscapes, or Space. If you want something more personal, you can upload any photo from your phone, such as a pet or a favorite vacation spot.

It’s clever that after selecting a background, the bubble colors automatically adjust to match it. However, if the automatic selection doesn’t suit you, you can manually fine-tune the palette at any time via the top bar. This isn’t the first attempt in this direction – we wrote about older themes and effects in the app back in spring 2024. However, those colors applied to the entire conversation, whereas today’s adjustments remain purely personal.

How to do it?

The whole process takes just a few taps:

1. Open the conversation you want to customize.
2. Tap on the contact’s name at the top, or on the three-dot icon in the top right.
3. Select the Chat theme option
4. Choose a color from the palette, and in the Wallpapers section, either upload your own photo or select one of the pre-made backgrounds
5. Tap Next, check the preview, and confirm with the Apply button

If you want to revert to the understated default look, you’ll find an option to restore to default in the same menu.

Only you see the theme

Here’s an important detail: the theme is private and is only displayed on your device. The other party in the conversation has no idea about it, and their app continues to look exactly the same. This is a significant shift from the previous color options, which applied to everyone in the chat – and many people, according to feedback, didn’t like that at all.

In practice, this means you can easily set a wallpaper with a family photo for a work chat without imposing your taste on anyone else. Everyone can literally live in their own colorful bubble.

For RCS chats only

One condition is non-negotiable: the feature requires RCS to be enabled, so you won’t be able to use it for classic SMS. Google is typically rolling out the new feature gradually, so it’s possible you might not see it yet. I already have it available on my Pixel 11 Pro XL.

Will you color your work chats in Google Messages, or stick to the understated classic?

Sources: Google, 9to5Google