Apple Adds 4 Message Background Types in iOS 26, Sharing Changes Across Chats
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Aug 22
Apple Adds 4 Message Background Types in iOS 26, Sharing Changes Across Chats
3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Aug 22
Summary
iOS 26 lets iPhone users set a custom background for each Messages thread using four Apple presets—Color, Sky, Water and Aurora—or a photo from the camera roll.
The feature is meant to make chats easier to distinguish and reduce wrong-recipient texts, but any background change is pushed to everyone in the conversation who is also using iOS 26.
Messages logs the change inside the thread with a timestamp, and removing a background by selecting None also clears it for other chat members.
Users who do not want to see shared backgrounds can disable Conversation Backgrounds locally in Settings > Apps > Messages, while others still keep the theme on their end.
Apple says the same steps also apply across iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26 and visionOS 26.