Google Messages adds custom chat themes for RCS conversations

Google is introducing custom chat themes to Google Messages, enabling users to personalize the visual appearance of individual conversations. This update marks a shift away from the app's previously uniform aesthetic, allowing for a more tailored communication experience.

According to Android Police, the new feature allows users to customize both chat bubbles and backgrounds for their conversations. Specifically, the update introduces the ability to change accent colors for chat bubbles and set custom wallpapers. These personalization options are applied on a per-conversation basis, meaning users can assign different themes to different contacts rather than applying a single global setting across the entire app. Fact-checking indicates that these capabilities are primarily tied to RCS-enabled conversations.

The push for RCS expression

Google Messages has been steadily expanding its feature set to enhance the Rich Communication Services (RCS) experience. As Google pushes RCS as the modern standard for Android messaging, it has faced stiff competition from proprietary ecosystems like iMessage and third-party apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. For a long time, personalization was a highly requested feature from the user base, who sought to make the app feel less like a utilitarian tool and more like an expressive social platform.

Competing for the social hub

This move signals Google's broader strategy to transform Google Messages into a more competitive and emotionally engaging communication hub. By integrating visual customization, Google is directly targeting a younger demographic and users who are accustomed to the highly personalized environments of other messaging apps. The ability to visually distinguish conversations helps users organize their social circles and adds a layer of emotional context to digital interactions, moving the app closer to the "social" feel of its competitors.

What to watch

While the core functionality of custom themes is now confirmed, the rollout schedule across different regions and device manufacturers remains the primary point of interest. Users should monitor for app updates in the Google Play Store to see if the feature has reached their specific account. It remains to be seen if Google will expand these customization options to include more advanced themes or integrated third-party wallpaper sources in future iterations.