Jack Wallen/ZDNET
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ZDNET key takeaways
- Stop sending the wrong response to the wrong recipient.
- Theme Google Messages chats to make them distinctive.
- This feature is free to use and is rolling out on Android.
Just this morning, I sent the wrong response to what I thought was the right chat thread. It didn’t get me in trouble, but it did cause the recipient to raise their eyebrows. I quickly explained, found the correct recipient, and sent the reply.
I can’t tell you how many times this issue has happened to me over the years. Sometimes it happens when I’m groggy in the morning, and my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders, and sometimes it happens when my brain is firing on every cylinder it’s ever had, and my fingers struggle to keep up.
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Either way, it happens.
Fortunately, I’ve found a way to alleviate this problem. The solution came via Google Messages themes.
No matter how zoned out or zoned in I am, it is far easier to discern a glaring theme than a name or phone number. By clearly distinguishing one chat from another, I don’t have to worry about embarrassing myself or sending sensitive information to the wrong person (which I’ve almost done before).
Trust me when I say, you do not want to do that. In fact, you should never share sensitive information via chat.
Theming chats also gives them a bit of personality. Theme a chat to best suit the recipient’s vibe, and it might make you smile every time you open a chat thread, or simply put you in the right mood to communicate. When you’ve spent time tweaking your Android UI, even adding a killer home screen launcher like Octopi, you don’t want boring chat themes.
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Intrigued? Let me show you how to theme your chats in Google Messages. I’ll demonstrate on my still-fantastic Pixel 9 Pro.
Theming a chat
Adding a theme to a chat is a bit of a hidden feature, but it’s not difficult to access.
To theme a chat, you must open Google Messages first.
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Tap the profile image of the chat to be themed, and tap the information icon (small letter i in the circle).
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From here, you can also open the phone app to call the contact.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Tap “Chat theme” under the Images section.
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There are also other options here.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
On the “Chat theme” page, you can add a background photo (from the pre-selected options or your camera roll) and then select the chat color scheme.
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One thing to consider: if you select a photo from your camera roll, make sure it’s in portrait, not landscape, as landscape photos won’t crop properly and might look a bit off. I’ve found that images created as mobile wallpaper work perfectly. Also note that the pre-selected images are limited, and I’ve yet to find a way to add more.
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Make sure you select your color scheme after selecting an image.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
I would also suggest selecting the color scheme after you’ve chosen a background image; otherwise, the scheme might not blend well with the image and will look off.
I’ve applied themes to the Google Messages chats that I interact with the most. By taking this step, I avoid sending the wrong response to the wrong person. On top of that, the chats are just more aesthetically pleasing.
