The arrival of the color customization in WhatsApp It's one of the biggest new features that's generating the most excitement among millions of users. For years, the Meta app remained faithful to a minimalist aesthetic dominated by the classic green hue, with small variations thanks to dark mode and wallpaper customization. However, now WhatsApp is betting heavily on customization, opening the door to a A much more versatile, aesthetic and user-friendly visual experience.
WhatsApp and the revolution in color customization
WhatsApp has finally listened to its community's requests. After adding features like song statuses, animated stickers, channels, and video calling improvements, it's adding one of the most requested features: being able to change the application colors, chat bubbles, and backgrounds. Also, if you want to discover how to further optimize your conversations, we invite you to visit our article on How to organize your conversations into favorites on WhatsApp.
This new feature is a departure from the visual uniformity the app was used to. Now, just like Telegram or rival apps, you can decide how you want your chats to appear, both globally and in individual conversations. WhatsApp has developed a wide palette of colors and themes that allow you to modify everything from the main tones of the entire app to the details of each chat.
Visual customization does not only respond to aesthetic criteria. Choosing colors and themes helps distinguish important chats, making it easier to quickly identify messages and improves readability for people with visual sensitivity or specific accessibility needs. If you'd like to learn about the customization features you can enable, be sure to visit our content on WhatsApp's 5 new features.
What color and theme options does WhatsApp allow?
WhatsApp is currently rolling out a system of predefined themes and colors both on Android and iOS. So far, more than 20 colors to choose from initially, but it has already been confirmed that the number will increase in upcoming updates (palettes of 22, 30 and up to 47 different colors). Also, if you want to learn how to improve your chat management, we recommend checking out our tutorial on How to know if someone is spying on your WhatsApp conversations.
Each theme comes with its own wallpaper and color scheme for chat bubbles, buttons, and interface details. You can choose from classic colors like blue, red, black, orange, or purple, but there are also custom shades and gradient variants. Additionally, WhatsApp will allow you to select Unique backgrounds inspired by beaches, flowers, or abstract patterns.
- Chat bubble colors: You can now change the color of both sent and received messages (with some limitations depending on whether you choose light or dark mode).
- Custom wallpapers: Choose from suggested images, solid colors, or upload your own photos.
- Topics for each chat: You can apply a theme to the entire app or customize each conversation/group.
- Light mode and dark mode: The transition between the two adjusts the palette of themes and backgrounds, improving the visual experience and device autonomy.
Customization also includes details such as background brightness, the overlay of WhatsApp's iconic patterns, and, coming soon, new options for icons and buttons. To learn more ways to customize the interface, we invite you to visit our article on how to hide contacts on WhatsApp.
How to change WhatsApp colors and themes: Step by step
Customizing WhatsApp is a simple process that only takes a few minutes. Options may vary slightly between Android and iPhone, but the procedure is quite similar. Here's a complete guide:
- Open WhatsApp on your device.
- Accede to Settings (usually by tapping the three-dot icon at the top right on Android, or from the bottom menu on iOS).
- select the section Cat.
- Look for the option Default chat topic o Themes.
- Choose from the available themes and colors for the entire application.
- If you want to customize a specific chat:
- Open the conversation.
- Tap the name of the contact or group.
- Go to Wallpaper and theme and select a custom option.
You can make these changes as many times as you like without affecting your contacts' experience (themes only apply to your WhatsApp, not to those who text you). To explore the different customization options, you can also check out our article on how to put music in whatsapp status.
Additional customization features in WhatsApp
Personalization in WhatsApp goes far beyond colors. These are all the options you can take advantage of to give the app your own style:
- Different wallpapers per chat: You can add a different image to each conversation, ideal for quickly identifying personal, work, or group chats.
- Dark and light themes: In addition to the classic switching between the two modes, colors and backgrounds automatically adapt to improve readability and visual comfort in each environment. You can also learn more about How to see WhatsApp statuses without them knowing.
- Brightness and opacity: Adjust the background intensity to avoid excessive distractions and ensure messages are always legible.
- Custom notifications and tones: You can set different sounds and vibrations for each chat, as well as change the color of the notification light on compatible phones.
- Accessibility: Personalization helps people with visual impairments, as choosing appropriate backgrounds and colors improves readability and reduces eye strain.
- Custom avatars and stickers: WhatsApp lets you create avatars, change your profile picture, and add custom stickers for your favorite chats.
- Shortcuts: On Android, you can add shortcuts to specific chats on your home screen to further differentiate them.
Practical advantages of WhatsApp customization
Beyond the aesthetic aspect, the ability to customize WhatsApp has practical and functional advantages that improve everyday life:
- Distinguish important conversations: Coloring work, family, or relationship chats helps prevent key messages from getting mixed up and reduces errors.
- Quick identification: Different colors for groups and contacts allow you to identify at a glance who is writing, useful in very active chats.
- Visual separation of contexts: Very useful if you use multiple accounts or manage dual profiles, as each context can have a unique visual style.
- Improved visual comfort and autonomy: Dark or dimmer themes are better for eye health and help save battery life, especially on phones with OLED displays.
- Optimization for people with special needs: Choosing appropriate color combinations and backgrounds improves accessibility for users with low vision or sensitivity to certain colors.
Frequently asked questions about customizing WhatsApp with colors
The expansion of customization features has raised many questions among users. Here we answer the most relevant ones in clear and detailed terms:
- Does personalization affect my contacts?
No, all changes to colors, themes, and backgrounds are only visible on your device. Your contacts will continue to see WhatsApp according to their personal settings. - Can I create my own colors or themes?
For now, you can only choose from the predefined colors offered by WhatsApp, although the company is continually expanding the palette of options. If you want to expand your options, you can also check out our article on how to put bold in whatsapp. - Can I go back to the classic design?
Yes, you can reset the original theme at any time by going to Settings > Chats > Default Theme. - Does changing themes consume more battery?
It doesn't affect app performance or power consumption. In fact, dark mode and dimmer backgrounds can improve battery life on some devices. - Is the feature available to everyone?
Customization by colors and themes is in progressive deploymentIf you don't have the option yet, make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp and be patient: activation is gradual and depends on the region and device type. - How can I get early access to new features?
If you want to try out the features before anyone else, you can install the WhatsApp beta version from Google Play (Android) or TestFlight (iOS) if seats are available. Please note that this is a test version and may contain bugs.
Tips to get the most out of personalization on WhatsApp
If you want to take WhatsApp customization to the next level, here are some practical recommendations:
- Combine colors and backgrounds that have good contrast to ensure the readability of messages.
- Use your own images or backgrounds with little detail to prevent the text from being lost.
- The ideal resolution for backgrounds is 1080 x 1920 px, this way you avoid pixelated images.
- If you use different themes per chat, Take the opportunity to assign colors to your most frequent contacts and priority groups.
- Use custom notification tones to complement your visual customization.
- Remember, you can return to the classic look whenever you want without losing your chats or data.
Additionally, you can create minimalist backgrounds using external tools (like Canvas), download recommended backgrounds, or edit your own images to achieve a unique experience in every chat.
The arrival of the Customization by colors and themes in WhatsApp It opens up a range of possibilities for users who want to express their personality, visually separate the different areas of their lives, and improve the everyday user experience. It's no longer just about choosing a pretty background; it's about having complete control over the appearance of the app and each chat, with benefits ranging from aesthetics to organization, accessibility, and convenience. It's the perfect time to explore all the options and enjoy a WhatsApp that's truly yours.