How to set WhatsApp wallpaper on Android and iPhone

Jul 26, 2018

Updated • Nov 8, 2026

Internet

To set a WhatsApp wallpaper, open WhatsApp, go to Settings > Chats > Default chat theme (on older app versions: Chats > Wallpaper or Chat Wallpaper) and pick a preset wallpaper, a solid color or a photo from your gallery. To give a single conversation its own background, open that chat and choose Chat theme from the chat menu. Wallpapers are only visible to you.

This guide covers Android and iPhone, setting a wallpaper for all chats or just one, using your own photo, the image size that looks best, and how dark mode affects the background.

How to set a WhatsApp wallpaper on Android

WhatsApp for Android sets the wallpaper for all chats from the Chats section of Settings. The steps:

Open WhatsApp and tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
Tap Settings, then Chats.
Tap Default chat theme. On older versions of the app, tap Wallpaper and then Change.
Choose a preset wallpaper, a solid color, or My Photos to use an image from your phone.
Check the preview, adjust a photo by pinching and dragging, and confirm with Set wallpaper.

Built-in wallpapers cannot be zoomed or moved, only your own photos can. The preview shows sample chat bubbles on top of the background, which is the best moment to judge whether the text stays readable.

WhatsApp added chat themes in February 2025. A theme combines a wallpaper with a chat bubble color, and you can either pick one of the preset themes or mix your own wallpaper and bubble color. If you only want a new background, change the wallpaper and leave the bubble color alone.

How to set a WhatsApp wallpaper on iPhone

WhatsApp for iPhone uses the same Chats settings, reached from the Settings tab instead of a menu. The steps:

Open WhatsApp and tap Settings in the bottom bar.
Tap Chats.
Tap Default chat theme. On older versions, tap Chat Wallpaper and then Choose a New Wallpaper.
Pick a preset wallpaper, a solid color, or a photo from your library.
Adjust the photo with pinch and drag, optionally turn on the perspective (motion) option, and tap Set.

Changes apply to every chat that does not have its own theme. To return to the stock look, open the same screen and choose the default wallpaper.

How to set a wallpaper for one WhatsApp chat

WhatsApp lets you give a single chat its own wallpaper through the per-chat theme setting, so a partner, family group or work chat can look different from the rest. The steps:

Android: open the chat, tap the three-dot menu and select Chat theme.
iPhone: open the chat, tap the contact or group name at the top and select Chat theme.

Pick a wallpaper or your own photo, adjust the bubble color if you like, and confirm. The per-chat choice overrides the default theme for that conversation only. Every other chat keeps the background you set under Settings > Chats.

This replaces the old behavior described in earlier versions of this guide, when WhatsApp applied one wallpaper to the entire app and offered no option per contact. If you do not see Chat theme yet, update WhatsApp from the Google Play Store or the App Store.

How to use your own photo as WhatsApp wallpaper

Any image saved on your phone can be a WhatsApp wallpaper. Choose My Photos (Android) or your photo library (iPhone) in the wallpaper picker, select the image and position it in the preview before you confirm.

A few tips help a personal photo work as a chat background:

Pick calm images: busy photos with lots of detail make messages harder to read.
Prefer darker or low-contrast pictures if you use dark mode.
Crop the subject (a face, a pet) toward the upper part of the image, because chat bubbles and the keyboard cover the lower part.
Save the image in full resolution first. Photos you received through a chat may be compressed; see how to send and receive pictures on WhatsApp in high quality.

What size should a WhatsApp wallpaper be?

The best WhatsApp wallpaper size is a portrait image that matches your phone's screen resolution, or is larger. There is no fixed size you must hit: WhatsApp scales and crops the image to fill the chat screen, so the aspect ratio matters more than the exact pixel count.

Use this as a guide:

Phone screen	Aspect ratio	Good wallpaper size
Most current Android phones	About 20:9	1080 x 2400 pixels or larger
Recent iPhones	About 19.5:9	Your model's resolution from Apple's tech specs
Older 16:9 phones	16:9	1080 x 1920 pixels

Check your own model's resolution in its spec sheet and crop the image to that ratio before you set it. A landscape photo will be cropped heavily, so turn or crop it to portrait first to control which part stays visible.

WhatsApp wallpaper in dark mode

WhatsApp treats light and dark mode separately, so a wallpaper can look different once your phone switches to the dark theme. On Android, the app theme sits under Settings > Chats > Theme; on iPhone, WhatsApp follows the system appearance setting.

While dark mode is on, the wallpaper screen shows a brightness slider. Lower it to dim the background so white text stays legible. If you want a different picture for dark mode, switch the phone to dark mode, open the wallpaper settings again and set the second image there.

FAQ

Can other people see my WhatsApp wallpaper?

No. Wallpapers and chat themes are stored on your device and are only visible to you. The other person sees their own background.

How do I keep my WhatsApp wallpaper when I change phones?

Keep the original image file, for example in your cloud photo library, and set it again on the new phone. Re-check per-chat themes after a restore and set them again if they did not carry over.

Can I create an AI wallpaper in WhatsApp?

WhatsApp documents AI-generated chat themes and wallpapers in its help center. Availability depends on your region and app version, so the option may not appear for every account.

How do I remove a WhatsApp wallpaper?

Open the same wallpaper or chat theme screen and pick the default wallpaper, or choose a plain solid color for a clean background.