GoKawiilWhatsApp brings animated chat wallpapers to iOS with five new theme categories
WhatsApp has begun rolling out five new chat theme categories on iOS: Featured, Nature, Live, Minimal, and Doodle, according to WABetaInfo. The standout is Live, which offers slowly moving animated backgrounds marked by a small icon, while the app automatically matches chat bubble colors to the chosen theme.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Personalization features like themed and animated wallpapers help WhatsApp keep pace with rivals like Telegram and iMessage, which already offer deep customization options. The deliberately slow animation speed also shows WhatsApp balancing visual appeal with readability and accessibility concerns, a detail that matters for its billions of daily users.
- WhatsApp is rolling out five new chat theme categories on iOS: Featured, Nature, Live, Minimal, and Doodle.
- The Live category introduces slow-moving animated wallpapers designed not to distract from messages.
- Chat bubble colors now automatically adjust based on the selected theme, and rollout is gradual across users.
Apple iPhone 17 — WhatsApp's new animated Live chat wallpapers look their best on a bright, high-refresh iPhone display, and the latest iPhone 17 is built to show off exactly that kind of subtly moving background. It's the natural home for iOS-first features like these rolling theme galleries.
See Apple iPhone 17 on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: 9to5mac.com — Marcus Mendes, 2026-08-28
Published there as: “WhatsApp rolls out new chat themes on iOS, including animated wallpapers”
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