WhatsApp may soon let you personalise iPhone chats with animated wallpapers and new chat themes

WhatsApp is actively developing a broader and more diverse range of chat themes aimed at giving your individual conversations a highly tailored and distinct aesthetic. If you rely on WhatsApp frequently for daily communication, these upcoming personalisation options could soon provide fresh, creative ways to customise the overall visual appearance of your chats, allowing you to easily distinguish between work, family, and personal threads.

This enhanced customisation feature is currently under active development specifically for iPhone users via iOS beta versions and is not yet available to the general public as a stable, official update.

Expanded theme options coming to WhatsApp chats

WhatsApp is developing the feature in beta version 26.31.10.74 for iOS, available through Apple's TestFlight programme. The update points to three categories of themes - Featured, Doodle and Minimal.

Must Read: What is HiLight on Pixel 11 Pro? Google brings back the notification light, with a twist

Each category is expected to offer different visual styles, colours and wallpapers. This could make it easier for you to choose a look that matches your preference or gives different chats a distinct feel.

WhatsApp will also automatically assign bubble colours for each theme. This is intended to keep the chat interface visually consistent while maintaining readability and accessibility.

Animated wallpapers could make chats more dynamic

The most notable addition is the inclusion of animated wallpapers. Instead of relying only on static backgrounds, you could eventually have wallpapers with subtle movement inside your conversations.

Must Read: Microsoft Edge may soon let you sign in with Apple Account instead of creating a Microsoft account

The feature is still under development, so the final appearance and functionality could change before WhatsApp makes it available more widely. The same expanded theme experience is also being developed for Android, suggesting that the customisation push may eventually extend across both major mobile platforms.

For now, you cannot access these new animated themes through the regular WhatsApp app. You will need to wait for WhatsApp to complete testing and begin a wider rollout.

The update is mainly about giving chats a more individual look, while WhatsApp continues to refine the feature before a potential public release.