Google Messages gets custom chat themes so you can personalize every conversation

Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police | StockImageFactory.com / Shutterstock Published Aug 27, 2026, 3:19 PM EDT Chandra Steele has been writing about tech for the entirety of her journalism career. She loves making tough topics easy to understand. Before joining Android Police, Chandra was senior features writer at PCMag where she did everything from interviewing Jeff Goldblum to explaining crypto. Sign in to your Android Police account If the texts you get are kind of boring, there’s now something you can do about that. At least as far as when it comes to how they look anyway. Google Messages announced today that you can now set custom chat themes and backgrounds on Android devices. “Now, you can make every conversation feel uniquely yours by customizing the colors and background wallpapers for individual chats,” the post reads. “Whether you want a favorite family photo behind your main group text or a sleek, minimal color palette for your work contact, the choice is entirely up to you!” How it works Your chat customization choices are private to you, so if you choose a cheesy theme for your crush, they won’t be any the wiser (unless, of course, they catch a glimpse of your screen). The customization lets you choose one of your own images as a wallpaper or background, or you can choose a preset one. The preset ones span categories like Animals, Architecture, Black & White, Cityscapes, Landscapes, Macro, Space, and more. Your message bubbles will automatically adjust to match the color scheme of whatever you choose. But you can go in and adjust them if you want to change them up. How to set a chat theme To personalize a conversation, open Google Messages and select a chat. Tap either the name in the top bar or the vertical three dots in the top right corner. Then select Chat Theme and choose colors and wallpapers. You can choose a photo of your own for a wallpaper or choose from options from Google Messages. Once you’re done, tap Next. You’ll be able to preview your choice and can hit Apply when you’re done. The feature is rolling out now. You’ll see a red dot appear in Google Messages’ three-dot menu when it’s available.