Google Messages Adds Chat Themes for Standard SMS Texts

Chat themes came to Google Messages in August after Android Authority first uncovered the feature in May. They let users apply preset or custom wallpapers and colors to a conversation. Until now, the option worked only with RCS chats. The new rollout makes it available for non-RCS texts as well. Android Authority said it was unclear how long the feature had been active and that it could not find an official support page documenting the expansion to non-RCS chats.

Users can find chat themes through the three-dot menu at the top right of a conversation, according to the report. The feature is also accessible from the contact info page by tapping the user's name. In the new implementation, a chat theme is limited to the person who sets it. By contrast, the older "Change colors" option, which was also restricted to RCS chats, changed colors for everyone in the conversation. Because the new theme changes are reflected only locally on the user's phone, Android Authority said there was nothing preventing Google Messages from bringing the customization to standard texts as well.

RCS messaging is becoming more common, but it has not fully replaced conventional text messages. Android Authority noted that this makes it logical for Google to offer the feature to all Messages users. The report said every Google Messages conversation, whether RCS or SMS, can now be decorated with preset or custom wallpapers and a user's preferred colors. For users who still have contacts on old-fashioned SMS, the change offers a way to give those chats a visual upgrade.