As long as WhatsApp has been around, there have been people clamouring for the ability to go a step further when customising their experience. While the messaging app has long let you change the background that appears behind your messages, that's always been a single wallpaper for all your chats.
Now that's finally changed - WhatsApp is rolling out an update that lets you set a custom wallpaper for each of your chats, along with a whole bunch more wallpapers to choose from as well as your own images.
If you've got the latest version of the app downloaded, you should soon be able to follow the steps below to give each of your chats a more distinctive flavour. We've also included details on how to set a different wallpaper for when your phone's in dark mode.
How to set custom WhatsApp chat wallpapers
On Android:
- At the top of your chosen chat, select the “...” menu
- Select Wallpaper
- Go through the flow and select your choice of wallpaper
On iOS:
- At the top of a chat, select the group name
- On the Group Info (or Chat Info) menu, tap Wallpaper & Sound
- Select your chosen wallpaper
How to change dark mode wallpaper on WhatsApp
On Android:
- Turn on dark mode from your device settings (if Android 10 or above) or from WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Theme (if Android 9 or below).
- Then follow the above steps to change your wallpaper
- The two choices should be saved for their respective modes
On iOS:
- Turn on dark mode from your device settings
- Change your wallpaper using the steps above
- Again, your choices for light and dark mode should be saved