Samsung recently established a clear schedule for discontinuing Samsung Messages, establishing Google Messages as the default messaging software on Galaxy phones.
While this is ultimately a welcome shift, the fact that Samsung Messages no longer supports RCS has left some longstanding users wanting the customisation tools they were accustomed to.
It appears that Google has taken note and is working on adding some fun features that Samsung Messages users will recognize.
Currently, the only way to modify RCS chats in Google Messages is to use the “Change colors” option from the three-dot menu. This option allows you to alter the backdrop and chat bubble colors simultaneously, but that’s all the personalization you can do in individual or group chats.
In comparison, Samsung Messages supports more advanced customization, such as the option to color and decorate chat rooms using photographs from your phone’s gallery. Using Theme Park (via Samsung’s Good Lock module) provides even more customization options, such as altering bubble colors, modifying contrast, applying wallpaper-based themes, and more.
As Samsung app is being phased out, customers who rely on custom theme packs have begun to express dissatisfaction with Google Messages‘ lack of customisation choices. Google appears to have been paying heed, since a new customisation option for its messaging app is now under development.
In the most recent beta release of Google (messages.android_20260410_02_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic), we discovered many additional lines pointing to extended theme controls within the app.
<string name="custom_theme_add_photos">Upload photo</string>
<string name="custom_theme_your_photos">Your photos</string>
<string name="custom_theme_preview">Theme Preview</string>
<string name="custom_theme_title">Theme UI</string>
<string name="custom_theme_custom">Custom</string>
<string name="custom_theme_backgrounds">Backgrounds</string>
<string name="custom_theme_bubble_color">Bubble Color</string>
<string name="custom_theme_apply">Apply</string>The new strings indicate that Google is planning a full “Custom” theme section, where users may be able to change backdrop patterns, bubble colors, and, most importantly, upload their own photographs to use as chat wallpapers. References to “Upload photo” and “Your photographs” definitely suggest a Google photographs integration, although options such as “Theme Preview” and “Apply” indicate a more involved customization experience.
There are also talks of separate areas for backgrounds and bubble colors, implying that users could mix and match aspects rather than relying on pre-set themes.
If this option becomes available, it would be a significant step toward allowing users greater choice over how their chats appear, which has been glaringly absent from the app thus far.
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Robert Haba is the founder and editor-in-chief of Droid Tools. A lifelong gadget enthusiast with over a decade following the Android ecosystem, he built this publication to cut through the noise and give readers honest, real-world coverage of the tech they actually use.
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