How to Change Your Background or Theme on Messenger

Customizing your chats on Messenger by changing your background or theme is a fun way to personalize your messaging experience. With different themes available, like "Lofi", "Sky", "Lunar New Year" and more, you can make your chats stand out.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through how to change your background or theme on both Android and iPhone Messenger step-by-step. We‘ll also provide some tips, tricks and extra context to help you get the most out of this feature.

A Closer Look at Messenger Chat Themes

Similar to WhatsApp, Messenger allows you to customize your background or theme for your chats. This feature is also available in Instagram Direct messages.

However, you first need to make sure you‘re using the latest version of Messenger and have switched over to the "New Messenger Experience" to access chat themes. Here are some key stats about Messenger‘s theme feature:

Rolled out in 2018 as part of a major Messenger redesign
15+ unique themes to choose from and counting
Themes celebrate holidays, events, causes and pop culture moments
Each theme changes the entire visual style of your chat
Works for one-on-one chats only, not groups

According to Facebook, over 150 million video calls take place on Messenger everyday. With so many people relying on Messenger for daily communication, chat themes are a fun way to customize your experience.

Once updated to the latest Messenger, you can change the look and feel of your chats by selecting different backgrounds. Each theme completely transforms the visual style of your chat screen.

Let‘s now dive into step-by-step instructions for changing your Messenger background on both Android and iOS.

How to Change Your Background on Messenger on Android

Changing your chat theme on Android Messenger only takes a few taps:

Open the Messenger app on your Android phone.
Log into your Facebook account if you haven‘t already.
Select the one-on-one chat you want to customize the background for.
Tap on the name of the friend you‘re chatting with at the top of the screen. This opens the chat settings.
Under "Customization" tap on "Theme".
Browse the different theme options and tap on the one you want. Options include "Lofi", "Sky", "Lunar New Year" and others.
Tap "Select" to confirm the theme change. This will change the background of your selected chat.

And that‘s it! The new theme you chose is now applied. You‘ll see a confirmation message in your chat log. Change it back at any time by just repeating the steps.

Let‘s now go over how to change your background on iPhone Messenger.

How to Change Your Background on Messenger on iPhone

Customizing your chat themes works very similarly on iPhone:

Launch the Messenger app and log into your Facebook account.
Tap into the one-on-one chat you want to change the background of.
Tap on the name and profile picture of the friend at the top of the chat screen.
In the menu that opens, tap "Theme" under "Customization".
Browse the different backgrounds and tap your desired theme.
Tap "Select" to confirm your choice.

The new background will now display in your chat! You‘ll get a message confirming your theme change.

And that‘s all there is to it! Follow these simple steps to customize Messenger chats on both Android and iPhone.

Current Messenger Chat Themes to Choose From

As of February 2023, here are some of the chat theme options available on Messenger:

Lofi – Relaxed retro theme with tape recorder visuals
Sky – Blue skies background with clouds
Lunar New Year – Red and gold lanterns for Chinese New Year
Pride – Rainbow backdrop in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month
F9 – Fast & Furious theme with racing cars
Minions – Animated Minions background
Diwali – Intricate flowers and candles for Diwali
Selena – Theme honoring singer Selena Quintanilla
Stranger Things – 80s inspired theme for the Netflix show

Messenger adds new limited edition themes regularly around major cultural events, causes or pop culture moments. Previous themes have celebrated Black History Month, Earth Day, Star Wars and more.

How Often Does Facebook Release New Messenger Chat Themes?

Facebook introduces fresh new backgrounds to choose from on a fairly regular basis. Here is a look at how often new Messenger themes drop:

5-6 new themes per year
Themes typically available for 1-2 months
New releases timed around holidays, events, etc
Existing themes retired frequently

For example, in 2021 Facebook added multiple new Messenger themes:

June 2021: Olivia Rodrigo, World Oceans Day, Pride, F9
October 2021: Diwali, Selena
November 2021: Minions

Facebook also likes to have fun with Messenger themes based on viral trends, celebrities or moments in pop culture.

So be sure to check the latest theme options every month or two for new backgrounds to customize your chats!

Tips for Using Messenger Chat Themes

Here are some tips to get the most out of the chat themes feature on Messenger:

Check back every so often for new themes. Facebook adds seasonal, holiday and pop culture backgrounds periodically.
Themes only apply to the specific chat you change them for. Other chats will remain the default theme.
You can change themes back and forth as often as you like. Have fun mixing it up!
Themes are a fun way to celebrate holidays, birthdays, events or inside jokes with friends.
If you want a consistent theme across chats, you‘ll need to change it individually in each one-on-one chat.
Messenger communications can be reached at [email protected] if you need any help with chat themes.

Customizing Your Overall Messenger Experience

Along with customizing your chat backgrounds, there are a few other ways to personalize your overall Messenger experience:

Custom Chat Colors

Change the default colors of your message bubbles in any chat. Pick from various preset options or create custom colors.

Reactions

React to any message with a Tapback "like" or by choosing from over 15 reaction emoji options.

Active Status

Toggle your active status on or off so friends can see when you‘re actively online messaging on Messenger.

Notifications

Manage your notifications settings for each individual chat or turn off Messenger notifications entirely.

Dark Mode

Enable dark mode to switch to a lower brightness black and grey theme for comfortable nighttime messaging.

Chat Wallpaper

Set a custom wallpaper in your main Messenger menu whenever you open the app.

Take advantage of all these options to tailor Messenger‘s look and feel to your personal preferences. A customized messaging experience makes chatting with friends even more fun.

How Messenger Compares to Other Top Messaging Apps for Customization

Messenger has a decent range of customization options, but how does it compare to other popular messaging platforms?

Lets you customize chat wallpaper and bubble colors
More limited theming capabilities than Messenger
No first-party designed themes to choose from

Signal

Very minimal customization features
No themes, chat wallpapers or bubble color options

Huge library of themes to choose from
Also has custom backgrounds, emoji, etc
Wider theming capabilities than Messenger

Snapchat

Colorful, playful UI by default
No custom theming available, very limited options

iMessage

Some theming options like bubble effects
No ability to choose themed backgrounds

Overall, Messenger strikes a nice balance between thoughtful official themes and customizable colors. While Telegram may have more robust community theming, Messenger‘s curated themes are more polished.

User Sentiment Around Messenger Chat Themes

In general, user sentiment around the chat themes feature on Messenger seems to be positive. Here are some examples of feedback:

"The themes make my messages more fun and personalized!"
"I love how easy it is to change up the look of my chat."
"Some of the themes are kind of random but others are really cool."
"I just wish we could use the themes in group chats too!"

According to social media chatter and app reviews, users appreciate having the option to customize their chats but do wish for more themes. Groups also want the ability to change backgrounds.

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Customizing your one-on-one chats with Messenger themes is an easy way to add personality to your messaging. With this guide, you should now feel comfortable changing your background via these key takeaways:

Ensure you‘re updated to the New Messenger Experience
Themes can be changed for any one-on-one chat
Tap your friend‘s name > Theme > Select new background
Facebook adds fresh theme options every month or two
Have fun mixing and matching themes!

So breathe new life into your daily Messenger conversations. Surprise friends with a stylish new look for your private chats using the latest themes.

And be sure to check the Messenger blog or app regularly for new backgrounds as Facebook expands the theme choices available. With over 150 million people using Messenger everyday, chat themes are a great way to make your messaging a little more special.