How to Add Custom Backgrounds to Messages in iOS 26

With iOS 26, you can now personalize your iMessage conversations by adding custom backgrounds. This feature lets you set a unique wallpaper for each individual or group chat, making it easier to tell them apart at a glance and adding a fun, visual element to your conversations. Think of it as a shared wallpaper that everyone in the chat can see and enjoy.

This guide will walk you through how to add custom backgrounds to Messages in iOS 26, what to expect when you do, and how to manage the feature. For a deeper dive into personalizing your chat experience, see the guide on custom Messages backgrounds.

In this article:

How to Set a Custom Background in a Message Thread

Setting a background is straightforward and can be done from within any iMessage conversation. The change is instant and visible to all participants who have also updated to iOS 26.

Open the Messages app on your iPhone and select the iMessage conversation you want to customize.
Tap the contact’s name or the group chat’s name at the very top of the screen to open the details menu.
Tap Backgrounds. This will open the gallery of background options.
Choose the type of background you want to apply. You have several choices:

Photo: Select any picture from your photo library.
Color: Pick from a variety of solid colors and gradients.
Playground: On iPhones with Apple Intelligence, you can generate a unique AI image to use as your background.
Presets: Apple includes themed backgrounds like Sky, Water, and Aurora.

Want more ideas for personalizing your chats? Check out how to personalize Messages app with additional background options.

After choosing your image or color, tap Set in the top‑right corner to apply it to the conversation.

What Happens When You Change a Background

This feature is designed to be a shared experience, so there are a few key things to know about how it works.

Everyone sees it: The background you set is visible to every participant in the iMessage chat, provided they are also using iOS 26 or later. Users on older versions of iOS will not see the background.
Anyone can change it: In group conversations, any member of the chat can change the background at any time.
It syncs across your devices: The custom background will appear in that conversation on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac as long as they are signed in to the same Apple ID.
It’s for iMessage only: This feature is exclusive to iMessage conversations (blue bubbles). It does not work in standard SMS/MMS messages (green bubbles).

If you need to translate messages while using a custom background, you can enable live translation in Messages for seamless multilingual chats.

Additional Tips and Precautions

Here are a few extra tips for managing your new message backgrounds.

How to remove a background: If you want to return to the default appearance, follow steps 1‑3 above and select None from the background options gallery.
Choose readable backgrounds: While iOS automatically adjusts the text color to maintain contrast, it is still best to avoid overly busy or complex images that could make messages difficult to read.
How to turn the feature off completely: If you prefer not to see custom backgrounds set by others, you can disable the feature entirely. Go to Settings > Messages and turn off the toggle for Conversation Backgrounds.

For a more cohesive look, consider customizing app icons for the Messages app to match your new backgrounds.

If you notice increased battery usage after adding several web‑app‑style backgrounds, enable the adaptive power feature to help optimize battery life.