WhatsApp is getting ready to make chats a lot more personal for iPhone users. The company’s developing a new feature that lets people add animated wallpapers to their chat themes. With this update, you’ll have even more ways to make your conversations yours—think mixing and matching wallpapers, chat bubble colors, and theme styles. Right now, this feature’s still in the works, but it’s expected to show up in a future WhatsApp update.
WhatsApp testing animated chat themes on iOS
The team is testing animated chat themes in the latest WhatsApp iOS beta (version 26.31.10.74) through Apple’s TestFlight program, according to WABetaInfo. If all goes well, you will be able to give your chats a totally new vibe by doing the following:
- Pick your favourite wallpaper
- Tweak the chat bubble colours to match
- Create a look that suits each conversation.
There is no official word yet on when everyone will get access to this, though.
Three chat theme categories are reportedly coming
Early reports say that WhatsApp is working on three categories of chat themes:
- Featured
- Doodle
- Minimal
The 'Feature' category seems like it is making the biggest splash since it’s supposed to include animated wallpapers. These aren’t loud or distracting—they add just a bit of movement to your chat background while you’re messaging.
Doodle, on the other hand, brings in lively patterns based on doodle designs, while the 'Minimal' theme goes for a sleek, distraction-free look for people who like things simple.
Chat Bubble colours could match the themes
And it’s not just the wallpaper. WhatsApp’s also working on matching Chat Bubble colours for each theme, so when you will have even more control over how each conversation looks. This makes it easier to tell your chats apart, and you can set up each one to match your personal style.
There’s also talk that these new themes will eventually work on both iOS and Android—though the actual release and final design might shift before everything’s live.
WhatsApp recently added several new features
All this comes as WhatsApp keeps rolling out new features. The platform just improved polls, letting users set voting deadlines and make responses anonymous. There’s a new @all mention feature that lets you tag everyone in a group at once.
Starting a new group chat from an old one is easier, too—you do not have to pick everyone out one by one anymore. On top of all that, WhatsApp is further adding its web calling power, now offering audio and video calls on WhatsApp Web with end-to-end encryption—without the WhatsApp Web app downloaded on the platform. So, a lot is happening, and animated wallpapers are just the latest way WhatsApp’s making chats more fun and flexible.
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