The feature is specculated to be applied to all conversations as default on WhatsApp for Android.
WhatsApp's default theme picker is reported to be unavailable even to beta testers
Photo Credit: Pexels/Anton
WhatsApp for Android may be working on a new feature that lets users make default theme picks for chats and chat bubbles from a multitude of design styles, according to claims by a feature tracker. The purported feature is said to provide users with multiple design options via a new user interface (UI), potentially expanding the customisation choices on the instant messaging platform. This development comes amidst reports of another in-development WhatsApp which may let users mention others in status updates.
According to the WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo, the messaging client is developing this feature for release on a future version of the app. It was spotted on the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.20.12. Following its rollout, users may be able to pick and choose their favourite options from multiple design styles.
Chat Theme Customisation on WhatsApp for Android
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
As visible in the screenshot (above), the colours of the chat bubbles and wallpapers will automatically adjust to complement the selected theme. The feature tracker claims users may also have the option to pick a colour for the wallpaper independent of the chat bubble, allowing them to further fine-tune the customisation.
The option to pick from multiple themes is said to be present in the settings on WhatsApp for Android. It is tipped to be applied to all conversations as default, although users may still have a choice of manually overriding it for a particular chat.
Notably, the ability to pick a default theme was first spotted by the feature tracker on WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.24.17.19.
WABetaInfo claims that the new ability to pick default theme from options is still in development and is not available to even beta testers registered via the Google Play Beta program. However, it is crucial to note that while the instant messaging platform might be working on several new features for various platforms, not all of them make it to the public release.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.