This year, Facebook-owned WhatsApp hit over two billion users, making it the world’s most popular cross-platform messaging app. Even the smallest of the app updates now make headlines simply because of the massive userbase.
The most recent update might not be significant, but now you can customize wallpapers in WhatsApp on a chat-by-chat basis. While it seems like unnecessary visual clutter, it gives individual conversations a fresh and exciting look.
The company was testing the feature for quite some time now with the pre-release beta builds. However, individual chat wallpaper customization is now rolling out for everyone on Android and iOS.
By default, WhatsApp offers three types of chat wallpapers: Bright, Dark, and Solid Colors. However, you can also choose your own custom wallpaper for the chat background. Read on to learn more about how to add custom wallpapers in WhatsApp.
Adding custom wallpapers to WhatsApp chats
Before you proceed, make sure to update your WhatsApp to the latest public version, which is 2.20.207.10 on Android and 2.20.131 on iOS. Go to the following Play Store or App Store link to install the update.
Once you have the latest version of WhatsApp installed, the process of setting custom wallpapers for individual chats is relatively straightforward.
Android
- First, launch WhatsApp from the home screen or app drawer.
- Next, tap the contact you wish to set a custom chat wallpaper for.
- Now tap the three-dot overflow (⋮) icon on the top menu bar, followed by the Wallpaper option.
- In the Custom Wallpaper menu, tap the preview box and choose the wallpaper of your liking.
As mentioned previously, WhatsApp gives you the option to select between three types of wallpapers, including Bright, Dark, and Solid Colors. However, you can set a photo from your gallery as well. - If you don’t like the wallpaper in preview, swipe left or right to preview more wallpapers. Simply tap Set Wallpaper when you find the perfect one.
- Optionally, you can adjust the slider under the Wallpaper Dimming option to tweak the custom chat wallpaper further.
To remove the custom wallpaper, you can go back to the Custom Wallpaper menu and tap the Remove custom wallpaper option.
iOS
- Open WhatsApp from your iPhone Home screen.
- Tap the contact you are chatting with or the group you are in.
- After that, tap the contact or group name above in the menu bar to open up the conversation settings page.
- Now scroll down and tap Wallpaper & Sound, then tap the Choose a New Wallpaper option.
- Pick up a stock wallpaper from WhatsApp’s wallpaper library or select a custom one from your Photos gallery.
- Tap Set to set the selected photo as chat wallpaper for the individual contact.
- Similar to Android, you can adjust how bright or dim the chat wallpaper should be.
Wrapping up
That’s how you can easily add custom chat wallpapers for individual contacts and groups in WhatsApp. If you wish to set up a common wallpaper for all of your chats, all you have to do is go to the WhatsApp Settings menu, tap Chats, and then tap the Wallpaper option.
After that, you can add or change the default chat wallpaper from the following screen. It’s worth mentioning that you can set up two different default chat wallpapers for the light and dark themes in WhatsApp. It will automatically change when you switch between the themes system-wide.
Talha Ali is your tech generalist, covering a wide spectrum of topics within the ever-evolving world of technology. With a curiosity for the latest innovations, industry trends, and breakthroughs. Whether it’s hardware, software, emerging technologies, or the intersection of tech with daily life, Talha’s articles provide readers with a well-rounded perspective on the dynamic landscape of the tech industry.
