Google Messages Gets Custom Chat Themes and Backgrounds
You can now give individual RCS conversations their own colors, wallpapers, and photos without changing what the other person sees.
Google Messages chat themes are rolling out as an official feature, letting users customize individual RCS conversations with new colors, wallpapers, and personal photos. Google Messages Community Manager Debashruti Roy announced the feature on August 27, saying the customization is designed to make each conversation look different without changing what the recipient sees. Google's announcement confirms that RCS must be enabled.
The update gives each conversation its own visual settings rather than applying one theme across the whole Messages app. That makes it possible to use a family photo for one group, a simple color scheme for a work chat, or a preset wallpaper for another conversation.
What Google Messages Chat Themes Add
The new customization covers both the message bubbles and the chat background. Google says users can choose from preset color themes, pick a photo from their gallery, or browse curated wallpaper categories such as Animals, Landscapes, and Space.
- Custom bubble colors and chat backgrounds for individual conversations
- Personal photos from the phone gallery as chat wallpapers
- Preset wallpaper categories when you do not want to use a personal photo
- Automatic bubble-color adjustments when a new background or wallpaper pattern is selected
- A private theme that is visible only to the person who created it
The privacy detail is important: changing a chat theme does not change the conversation's appearance for the other participant or group members. Google also says users can manually adjust the color palette if the automatic combination is not what they want.
RCS Is Required
Google's announcement says Chat theme requires RCS to be turned on. That makes the feature part of the richer messaging experience Google is building around RCS rather than a setting for traditional SMS conversations.
Saganote has previously covered how to enable RCS on iPhone, while Google Messages replacing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones provides context for Google's growing role as the default messaging app on more Android devices.
How to Change a Chat Theme
Google's current support documentation gives users a short path to the setting. Open the conversation you want to customize, tap the recipient or group name at the top, or open the three-dot menu, then select Chat theme. From there, you can choose a color and wallpaper, including a photo from your gallery, preview the result, and apply it. Google's support guide also explains how to reset a conversation to the default theme.
The feature is a small visual change, but it gives Google Messages a more personal way to distinguish conversations. For users who rely on many RCS chats, the ability to assign different backgrounds and colors can also make individual threads easier to recognize at a glance.
