WhatsApp may get chat customization themes soon, check out how it may look

Posted on by

WhatsApp, one of the most popular chat apps in the world, regularly gets new features and is working on them. Despite that, the chat app is somewhat behind in terms of features or customization in comparison to other apps, and the same can be said about new features.

That doesn’t mean that WhatsApp isn’t getting there though – it’s just doing so more slowly, given the large number of users that use it every day (the company wouldn’t want a new feature to break something and infuriate over two billion users, would it?). Despite that, we are now seeing a bigger change on the horizon for WhatsApp, ready for rollout.

Evidence of the upcoming changes has been spotted by WABetaInfo. It seems WhatsApp will be getting a themes feature, and the feature is getting ready to become official. The chat app seems to be working on a default chat theme feature.

The feature will work rather straightforwardly – you will be able to choose your preferred color for the chat bubbles in the conversation screen, as well as the accompanying wallpaper. You’ll be able to pick from a handful of predefined themes, so no sophisticated customization options just yet.

The feature has been discovered in WhatsApp beta version v2.24.20.12.

You will have a few presets to choose from, and for now, only a few were able to be activated by the folks at Android Authority. You get a broader range of preset wallpapers, and the chat bubbles will have a matching accent color.

You will also be able to set the darkness of the look, which will allow you to gradually switch between a light theme and a black theme:

The theme you select will then become your default chat theme and as such, it will be applied to all your chats. It’s possible WhatsApp will allow you to override the theme manually for specific chats. And of course, the theme will be visible only to you.

As of now, the default theme presets don’t work and it is not entirely clear when we’ll see an official rollout. Despite that, it may be soon.

I personally think that this is a feature that’s been long overdue for WhatsApp. It may not be the most important chat app feature out there, but competitors have had it for a while, and it’s fun to be able to customize how something you use often like a chat app will look like.


Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master’s degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She’s also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it’s walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.