WhatsApp is developing a set of chat theme categories for iOS that expand customization far beyond the current color picker. The feature, discovered in WhatsApp’s development builds, will introduce five distinct categories, Featured, Nature, Live, Minimal, and Doodle, alongside animated wallpapers that move slowly in the background without distracting from messages.
As reported by WABetaInfo, the new theme categories are available for some users who have the latest WhatsApp version from the App Store, while a select number of users who have the beta version from TestFlight also can try out this update.
Three Foundational Categories Plus Two New Animated Options
The five-category system builds on the three-categories WhatsApp was originally designing. Featured, Minimal, and Doodle are joined by the new Nature and Live categories. Featured curates WhatsApp’s top theme recommendations across the full collection, giving uncertain users a starting point without overwhelming choice. Minimal strips the interface to plain white (light mode) or black (dark mode), keeping focus entirely on the conversation. Doodle applies WhatsApp’s classic pattern, offering familiarity for users who want recognizable branding.
Nature introduces outdoor landscapes, mountain ranges, forest scenes, ocean vistas, each paired with an automatically selected bubble color for readability. Live, the most distinctive addition, features slow-moving animated wallpapers that create subtle motion without distraction. WhatsApp marks Live themes with a small Live icon on the thumbnail so users can identify them in Featured and other categories.
Thoughtful Animation Design Avoids Accessibility Pitfalls
WhatsApp’s approach to animated wallpapers reflects deliberate constraint: the animation is slow and gradual by design. A faster movement would distract users and risk discomfort for people with motion sensitivity or vestibular disorders. The slow animation enhances visual appeal while maintaining the conversation as the focal point.
WhatsApp assigns bubble colors automatically across all five categories, choosing the color that ensures sufficient contrast against the wallpaper underneath. Users can still override the selection manually, but WhatsApp’s default already balances aesthetic coherence with readability for most situations.
The expansion from a simple 20-color palette to 38 colors, and now to five organized categories with animated backgrounds, shows WhatsApp responding to user demand for personalization. Competitors like Telegram and Signal offer limited theme options by comparison; WhatsApp’s move toward category-based organization suggests Meta sees customization as a core competitive advantage in messaging as the category matures.
