WhatsApp Web themes might soon come to save us from boring gray bubbles

What you need to know

• Meta is reportedly testing 49 chat themes for WhatsApp Web, bringing long-overdue customization to the desktop experience.
• In addition to wallpapers, the themes could change message bubble colors for a more cohesive look.
• Custom themes might be local only, so your design choices won’t be visible to others.

WhatsApp Web has always appeared like the neglected sibling in the WhatsApp family. While the mobile app traditionally gets all the exciting updates, the desktop version has often received the cold shoulder, offering only the default light or dark theme. But that might be about to change.

According to WABetaInfo, Meta is testing a new look for WhatsApp's web client that will add 49 different chat themes.

The web version of WhatsApp has always been a simple extension of your phone, not a full-featured app on its own. Because of this setup, major interface changes were often skipped, so that syncing messages and keeping things stable remained the main priorities.

Themes change both wallpaper and message bubbles

However, WABetaInfo's report suggests that Meta is working on adding more advanced theme options to the messaging app's web client. These new themes do more than just change the background; they also update the color of your message bubbles to match the overall look.

If you like to organize things by color, this update is for you. There are almost 50 options, from soft pastels to bold, bright colors. Keep in mind, these changes only affect your own screen. So if you turn your chat window into Persian Plum, your friends or colleagues won’t see it. Your design choices stay private.

There’s no official release date yet, and the feature hasn’t appeared in beta versions so far. Still, keep an eye on the Settings menu under Theme in the next few weeks.

Android Central's Take

It’s funny that it took Meta 10 years to realize we might want more than two colors, but at least the company is finally doing it, if at all. Even though 49 colors look good on paper, it feels like a distraction from the real issues, like how the web client still has trouble loading old messages. Although I can now look at a "Sunset" theme while waiting half a minute for a tiny PDF to sync, it’s still like dressing up a platform that still has basic problems.