What you need to know
- Google Messages gets two standout updates, including Custom Chat themes and Google Keep integration as part of the September Android Drop.
- You can tap the plus button to add a Keep note, letting everyone view, edit, and contribute without leaving the conversation.
- Personalize individual chats using curated wallpaper collections (like Animals, Landscapes, or Space) or your own gallery photos.
Google’s September Android Drop is here, and while there’s a lot to go over, two features for Google Messages are stealing the spotlight: custom chat themes and seamless Google Keep integration.
Beginning today, you will be able to bring a Keep note directly into a Google Messages conversation by tapping the plus button. This lets everyone in the chat view, edit, and add to shared notes, whether you’re building a grocery list or planning a vacation.
The idea appears to be to turn your Messages conversations into the place where plans are actually made. This might be particularly handy for group chats, where information can get lost in the flood of messages.
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Google is also rolling out Chat theme, which lets you set different backgrounds and color treatments for individual conversations. Google has curated collections of wallpapers to choose from — including Animals, Landscapes, Space, and more — or you can upload your own photo from your gallery.
Google recommends everything from a latte theme for a coffee buddy to a beach photo for a vacation group chat. Messages automatically matches the chat bubble colors. This is much more than the simple “Change colors” option we saw back in 2024. It’s rolling out now in Google Messages.
Remember, these customizations are just for you, so that beach photo you set for the vacation chat isn’t going to show up on anyone else’s phone.
Google actually announced these custom backgrounds and themes a few days ago, in a post to the Google Messages Community, so the September Android Drop is another confirmation that the feature is coming.
Expect to see both features become more prominent as Google pushes the September Android Drop to supported devices.