WhatsApp for Android is now introducing chat-specific themes in beta
WhatsApp has finally decided to bring chat-specific theme support to the Android version of the app. Themes have always been available on WhatsApp for Android, but this has been quite limited and essentially also involved changing the background wallpaper of said chat. A new interface with the ability to set a chat-specific theme has now been spotted online, adding some much-needed customization like Facebook’s Messenger app. Facebook’s Messenger has had chat-specific themes for a long time, so it’s a bit strange why it took so long to bring it to WhatsApp.
To be clear, the new theme interface and chat-specific themes are only available on the beta version of WhatsApp for Android for now. WABetaInfo, in one afterhas released a few screenshots (seen in the image above) that show a theme selection interface that is very different from the one currently available on Android devices.
When WhatsApp decides to release a new update, users will be able to choose from 20 chat colors and up to 22 textured chat themes. All of these themes have preset chat bubble colors (different for sender and recipient), adding a new level of personalization to chats. These themes, unlike what is currently available, will also be chat-specific. So, just like changing wallpapers, users can choose and set a specific theme for each chat.
The feature was recently spotted in the beta version of WhatsApp for iOS. In terms of functionality, both versions of the app remain the same. Since the feature previously appeared on the iOS version of WhatsApp, there is a good chance that it will appear in the release version of iOS before it appears on Android.
More recently, it was revealed that Google’s Gemini virtual assistant on Android will soon be able to send messages via voice commands. The feature is currently available when using Google Assistant, which is gradually being replaced by Gemini. Just like chat-specific themes, the Gemini integration is also still being tested.
