Guide to Implementing Custom Backdrops in Messages on iOS Version 26
Apple has recently released iOS 26, bringing a host of new features to iPhone users. One of the most notable additions is the ability to customise chat backgrounds in the Messages app.
By choosing a different background for each chat, users can keep track of who they're talking with more easily. This feature is available for chats with people saved in your contacts. If you're chatting with someone who isn't in your contacts, the chat will not have a background by default.
To add or alter chat backgrounds, open a chat in the Messages app and select the new chat customization options. You can choose from premade backgrounds provided by Apple, or if you have an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, you can generate your own unique background with iOS 26.
The Suggestions section in the chat background options includes photos and an option for Image Playground on specific iPhones. Tapping any photo suggestion takes you to the same menu where you can resize or add a filter to the photo before accepting it.
The update also includes call screening, a new Liquid Glass redesign, and hidden features for iPhones. The release of iOS 26 was announced at the June Worldwide Developers Conference.
It's important to note that if you add, change or remove a chat background, the other people in the chat will see that alteration. If you receive a message from a chat without a background, double-check who is in the chat to avoid mistakes. It might be a chat with someone you haven't saved in your contacts.
Remember, if you don't choose a background for a chat, it won't carry over to any other chats. You can remove the chat background by choosing the default option, None.
To activate the feature to automatically generate a unique chat background in Messages using AI, update your iPhone to iOS 26, open a chat in the Messages app, and select or generate a background via the new chat customization options introduced in iOS 26. These options allow you to choose from AI-generated thematically fitting background suggestions, including options for dynamic backgrounds reacting to the time of day.
In summary, the new iOS 26 update brings a fresh approach to customising your chats in the Messages app, making communication more personal and organised.
