If you’re tired of the same plain look every time you open your Messages app, you’re not alone. Many Android users want their messaging app to feel more personal and visually appealing, and Google Messages does offer a few ways to change how your chats look, even if they’re more limited than what WhatsApp or Telegram allow.
This guide covers every customization option currently available, what changed with the app’s recent redesign, and what still isn’t possible.
Why Customize Your Messages Theme?
- Better readability: Dark themes are easier on the eyes, especially at night.
- Personal style: Pick colors and a look that match your taste.
- Focus and clarity: A cleaner theme helps you concentrate on your messages.
- Battery saving: Dark mode uses noticeably less power on OLED screens, which most mid-range and flagship phones now use.
What Changed in the Google Messages Redesign
Before getting into settings, it’s worth knowing that Google Messages went through a full visual overhaul with Google’s Material 3 Expressive design language, which rolled out across the app in stages and is now complete on most devices.
The practical changes you’ll notice:
- The old bubbly patterned chat background was replaced with a clean solid color in both light and dark themes.
- Message threads now sit in rounded containers rather than plain circles.
- The “plus” menu (Gallery, GIFs, Stickers, Files, Location) uses pill-shaped containers in a more spacious grid instead of colorful circles.
- Message bubble shades shift subtly based on your system theme, so the app feels more integrated with the rest of your phone.
If your Messages app looks different from screenshots in older guides, this redesign is why. The rollout was gradual, so some devices received it later than others.
How to Enable Dark Mode
Dark mode is the most popular customization, both because it looks modern and because it reduces eye strain.
- Open Google Messages
- Tap your profile picture or the three dots at the top right
- Go to Messages settings, then tap General
- Tap Choose theme
- Select Dark
Tip: Choose System default instead if you want the app to follow your phone’s theme automatically, switching to dark at night if you have scheduled dark mode enabled system-wide.
How Material You Changes Your App Colors
This is the customization option most people miss. On Android 12 and newer, Google Messages uses Material You, which pulls its accent colors from your phone’s wallpaper automatically.
That means the fastest way to change the app’s color scheme isn’t inside Messages at all. Change your home screen wallpaper to something with a different dominant color, and the Messages app’s buttons, highlights, and accents will follow. On most phones you’ll find this under Settings > Wallpaper & style, where you can also pick from several generated color palettes based on your current wallpaper.
If you want to go further with your home screen while you’re at it, see our guide on setting multiple wallpapers on Android.
Can You Change Chat Bubble Colors?
Not directly. Google Messages doesn’t let you manually pick a color for individual chat bubbles. Instead:
- Each contact is automatically assigned a color for their initials or profile icon, so you can tell conversations apart at a glance.
- Adding a photo to a contact replaces that color circle with their picture.
- Overall bubble shading follows your chosen theme and your Material You accent color.
If per-conversation bubble colors are essential to you, a third-party SMS app will give you more control, though you’d lose RCS features in the process, which is a significant trade-off now that RCS supports encryption and works with iPhone users.
How to Add Contact Photos
Adding photos to your contacts is the simplest way to make your chat list feel personal.
- Open the Contacts app
- Tap the contact you want to edit
- Tap Edit
- Tap the photo icon and choose a picture
- Save
Next time you open Google Messages, that photo appears in your conversation list in place of the colored initial.
How to Change the Font Size
Google Messages follows your system font size rather than having its own setting.
- Open Settings on your phone
- Tap Display
- Tap Font size (sometimes under “Display size and text”)
- Choose your preferred size
What About Custom Chat Wallpapers?
Google Messages still doesn’t support custom chat wallpapers the way WhatsApp does, and the recent redesign actually moved further away from this by replacing the old patterned background with a solid color.
Your realistic options are to change your system wallpaper so Material You shifts the app’s colors, or to switch to a third-party SMS app that supports wallpapers, accepting the loss of RCS features. Note that Samsung Messages is no longer an alternative here, since Samsung retired its own messaging app in 2026 and moved Galaxy users to Google Messages.
Quick Customization Checklist
- Set your theme to Dark or System default
- Change your phone wallpaper to shift the app’s Material You accent colors
- Add photos to your most-used contacts
- Adjust system font size for better readability
- Once the look is sorted, set up a proper group chat to get the most out of the app
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Google Messages look different from the screenshots I’ve seen?
The app went through a staged Material 3 Expressive redesign, so devices received the new look at different times. If yours still looks older, update the app from the Play Store.
Can I set a custom wallpaper inside a Google Messages chat?
No. The app doesn’t support per-chat wallpapers. Changing your phone’s system wallpaper is the closest option, since it affects the app’s accent colors through Material You.
Does dark mode actually save battery?
On OLED and AMOLED screens, yes, since black pixels are effectively switched off. On older LCD screens the difference is negligible.
Google Messages won’t give you the deep customization of WhatsApp or Telegram, but between dark mode, Material You colors, and contact photos, you can still land on a clean, modern look that suits you. Try a couple of these today and see how much more comfortable your daily texting feels.
