WhatsApp has been working on adding chat theme support on more than one occasion, and the feature tracker has now given us a glimpse of what the feature could look like when it launches. The messaging app is expected to let users change the color of their chat bubbles, as well as their background, using pre-made themes, or choose their own color and wallpaper. The company has also been spotted working on the ability to choose a username and set a PIN that protects them from unknown users on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp Theme Picker for iOS Spotted in Development
Earlier this month, feature tracker WABetaInfo spotted a new theme picker in development in the previous beta version of WhatsApp for Android. While the picker didn’t include any themes in that version, the WhatsApp beta update for iOS 24.17.10.71 includes previews of some of those themes.
Choosing a WhatsApp Theme for iOS
Photo source: WABetaInfo
When the feature finally rolls out, WhatsApp will offer users 10 pre-made themes to choose from, according to the feature tracker. Several screenshots of the theme picker in action show two horizontally scrolling rows of themes. The top row features solid backgrounds, while the bottom row features themes based on landscape art — all of which have chat bubble colors based on the background color.
It’s important to note that the theme picker isn’t currently available to beta testers as it’s still in development, so even if you’ve installed the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS via TestFlight, you’ll still have to wait until the feature is ready to be tested. WABetaInfo claims that these themes will only be visible to the user who applies them, unlike Instagram and Messenger, where the same theme is displayed to all participants in a chat.
WhatsApp Username PIN Feature Comes to Latest Beta
WhatsApp is developing a username feature that will allow users to start new conversations without sharing their phone numbers, but that feature hasn’t yet been rolled out to beta testers. It appears the company is now working on a feature that will protect users from unwanted contact once they’ve set up a username.
Choosing a WhatsApp Username PIN
Photo source: WABetaInfo
According to WABetaInfo, the recently released WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.24.18.2 includes details of an advanced “Username PIN” selector. Supposedly, users will be prompted to set up a PIN after setting a unique username on WhatsApp.
The WhatsApp feature tracker claims that the feature allows users to set a new passcode that they must share with others in order to start a new conversation using their newly set username. This would allow users to control who can send them messages, and potentially prevent spammers and unwanted chats from reaching users.
Much like the theme picker spotted on iOS, this WhatsApp user PIN feature is still in development, meaning it won’t be available even after downloading the latest beta version of WhatsApp on Android. Both of these features will be rolled out to beta testers in the future before rolling out to users on the stable channel.
