Summary
- The lack of customization options in WhatsApp is a big problem for Android users.
- Recent color changes to the UI give hope for more customization features for users.
- New chat design options, including bubble colors, may be on the way to allow users to personalize their chats.
WhatsApp is among the most popular chat apps on Android, but the developers at Meta have completely neglected it when it comes to customization. Most of the UI changes come just from the need to give new features a home, and even WhatsApp’s own chat wallpaper collection on the Play Store hasn’t been updated in over a decade. However, the company seems to have relaxed the norms for colors in the app’s interface, and users may get the option to replace the green message bubbles with another shade they prefer.
Related
WhatsApp urgently needs new customization options
The WhatsApp Wallpapers app hasn’t been updated for over 10 years
WhatsApp recently started changing its interface colors. It initially used a darker shade of green to make the Android client match the iOS app. It also briefly introduced a colorless theme. It recently changed the color of the verification ticks in the app from green to blue, possibly to maintain consistency with other Meta properties and other social apps in general. WhatsApp feature tracking website WABetaInfo just spotted folks at Meta trying out custom color options again in the latest beta version.
That’s right, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a teaser like this, but version 2.24.17.19, delivered through Google Play’s beta program, gives us a glimpse of the chat themes, but it’s still under development.
An option to change the bubble color
WABetaInfo testers discovered a new settings page called Chat topicwhich combines the options for changing the chat background and also adds a new option called Message color. At the moment, Chat topic In the WhatsApp settings you can only choose between Light, DarkAnd System defaultwhile chat backgrounds can be changed for each conversation via the overflow menu in the header bar.
New chat theme options include message bubble colors combined with a matching chat background image. Testers report that Meta could launch this feature with at least 10 different themes to choose from, and any change on the settings page will be applied to all conversations immediately, eliminating the possibility of individual chat settings. Given the current state of the app, any kind of customization is welcome, and we can’t wait for this feature to become available to the masses.
