Overview
- Researchers and tech outlets found the work in an iOS TestFlight beta (version 26.31.10.74), showing the feature is actively under development but not yet available to most users or all beta testers.
- WhatsApp plans to group themes into three categories — Featured, Doodle, and Minimal — so users can pick expressive, familiar, or plain chat looks.
- Featured themes are reported to use slow, gradual animated wallpapers designed to add motion without distracting from messages or creating accessibility issues.
- The app will automatically assign message bubble colors for each theme to keep contrast and legibility consistent across different backgrounds.
- The same theme expansion is being built for Android as well, and WhatsApp has not given a public release date so testers should expect the design and behavior to change before a wide rollout.