PulseAugur
EN
LIVE 23:35:45

iPhone Messages app gains custom conversation backgrounds with iOS 26

By PulseAugur Editorial · [1 sources] ·

Apple's Messages app now allows users to customize conversation backgrounds, a feature previously available in competing apps like Telegram and WhatsApp. This update, introduced with iOS 26, enables users to select from pre-set animated wallpapers or use their own photos. For iPhone 15 Pro users and later, Apple Intelligence can generate custom backgrounds through the Playground feature. However, these custom backgrounds are only visible to iMessage users and are not available for SMS or RCS chats. AI

IMPACT Enhances user experience in messaging apps, with AI-generated backgrounds available on newer devices.

RANK_REASON This is a feature update for an existing consumer product, not a new frontier release, significant industry move, or research paper.

Read on Engadget →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 1 sources. How we write summaries →

iPhone Messages app gains custom conversation backgrounds with iOS 26

How we ranked this

Signal score
19 / 100
Composite score across the factors below. Higher = stronger signal that this story matters right now.
Newsworthiness bucket
Tool
This is a feature update for an existing consumer product, not a new frontier release, significant industry move, or research paper.
Source corroboration
Single-source cluster
Only one publisher covered this so far. Single-source stories can still rank when the publisher is high-authority, but they lack cross-source corroboration.
Topics
product
Editorial topic classification. Feeds into how the story surfaces on /topic/<slug> hub pages and into the per-entity coverage mix.
AI-industry relevance
Standard
On-topic for AI-industry coverage; kept in the public index.
Story freshness
Breaking (< 6h)
Fresh story with cross-source coverage still developing. Ranking may shift as more sources report.

Full methodology in our editorial standards.

COVERAGE [1]

  1. Engadget TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] (Filipe Espósito) ·

    How to change the background on iPhone Messages

    How to change the background on iPhone Messages.

RELATED ENTITIES

RELATED TOPICS