Customizing the appearance of iOS is a good way to make your iPhone more fun and unique. You can already do this by changing your wallpaper, the style of your icons and, starting with iOS 26, even the intensity and translucency of the (somewhat unpopular) Liquid Glass effect. But there was one set of customization options where Apple lagged behind competing apps, namely Messages.
While most messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp – and even chat features in apps like Instagram – already offered different themes to choose from, Apple’s Messages app still had a boring white background (or black if you’re in dark mode). That changed with iOS 26 last year, so you can now enhance the background of conversations in the Messages app to add a little more of your personality to your chats.
Set a custom background in Apple’s Messages app
Filipe Espósito for Woozad
Adding a background to your conversations in the Messages app only takes a few clicks. On your iPhone, open the Messages app and tap any conversation whose background you want to change. Tap the contact or group icon, which you can see at the top of the conversation. Next, go to the Backgrounds tab.
Here you will find a selection of Apple wallpapers. You have the choice between Color, Sky, Water and Aurora. But the best part is that these wallpapers are all animated and customizable.
Prefer to use an image you took yourself or found on the web? Just tap on the Photo option from the available backgrounds and choose the photo you want. You’ll also see a list of suggested backgrounds featuring photos from your library that the system thinks you might like. Just keep in mind that everyone in the conversation will see the same background, not just you.
The Playground feature can also generate backgrounds using Apple Intelligence. This requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later, however.
When custom backgrounds are not available
Filipe Espósito for Woozad
Maybe you’ve tried these steps and still can’t set a custom background for your conversation in the Messages app on your iPhone. If so, there are a few things you need to check, like whether the contact in this conversation uses iMessage. Unfortunately, custom backgrounds aren’t available for SMS or RCS, so your chats with friends on Android will always have that boring solid-colored background.
It’s also worth checking if your iPhone is running the latest software. In the Settings app on your iPhone, go to General, then Software Update to see if iOS 26 or later is installed.
Custom backgrounds in the Messages app can be turned off completely if you find them distracting. In your iPhone Settings, find Messages in the Applications menu and check the Conversation background box. If it’s turned off, you won’t see chat backgrounds, even if one of your contacts sets a custom background for their chat with you.
