How to change your theme and chat settings in Telegram

Telegram Chat Theme Settings
Telegram Chat Theme Settings (Image credit: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central)

One of the great things about the best messaging apps is that you can customize and craft them to look just the way you want them. It's true of Signal, it's true of WhatsApp, and of course, it's true of Telegram. We'll show you just how easy it is to change your theme, backgrounds, and chat settings on Telegram so that your messaging experience is as colorful as you are.

How to change your theme and chat settings on Telegram

  1. Open the Telegram app on your phone.
  2. Tap on the menu icon in the top left corner.
  3. Tap on Settings.
  4. Tap on Chat Settings. From here, you can customize nearly every design feature of your chats, including text size and bubble shape, and color.Source: Android Central

  1. Tap on Change Chat Background.
  2. Scroll through the available Chat Background options. You can upload your own Chat Background by tapping on Select from Gallery, or just choose to Set a color.Source: Android Central

  1. Note that now you can also choose from a large selection of animated backgrounds that are multi-colored, gradient wallpapers that algorithmically move and update each time you send a message.
  2. Tap on Blurred or Motion to change the effect of your Chat Background.
  3. Tap Set Background to confirm.Source: Android Central

  1. To find additional backgrounds by color or theme, tap on the search bar at the top of the Change Chat Background screen.
  2. Tap on a color to see options by color.Source: Android Central

  1. Type a topic in the search bar to find specific themes, like mountains or oceans.Source: Android Central

  1. From back in the Chat Settings menu, tap on one of the Color themes in the carousel. This will change the overall look and feel of the app itself.Source: Android Central

  1. Tap on one of the colored dots below the color theme to change the visual representation of chat bubbles, including customizing the exact color and gradient of the chat bubbles.Source: Android Central

  1. Scroll further down in the Chat Settings to activate features like Auto-Night Mode and Enable Animations.
  2. Tap on the three-dot menu in the top right corner to create a new theme, or reset the app to its default state.Source: Android Central

Millions of people have been flocking from other messaging apps like WhatsApp or SMS to apps like Signal and Telegram, largely because the latter offer security that is as good as — if not better than — the other options. These independent messaging apps like Telegram are also super-customizable and function as alternative social networks with private channels, custom stickers, and other fun features.

If you're looking for one of the best Android phones to experience Telegram on, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.

Jeramy Johnson
Editor-in-chief

Jeramy was the Editor-in-Chief of Android Central. He is proud to help *Keep Austin Weird* and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand.