How to change your text bubble color on Android

The default Messages app on Android has improved over the years thanks to various security and interactive features Google introduced through RCS chat. While it offers HD media sharing, typing indicators, message reactions, and end-to-end encryption, the chat aesthetics remain almost the same. Some may find the text bubbles hard to read and bland. Whether you want to make conversations pop or improve readability on your pocket-friendly Android phone, this guide focuses on how to change the color of the text bubbles on Android.

Change the color of text bubbles with Material You

Google Messages is simple and functional, but you don’t get those heavy customization options to spice up your chatbox. If your phone runs Android 12 or later, use Material You theming to customize its interface. That way, the text bubbles and the interface take different shades of color from your wallpaper and the chosen palette.

If you want to change the color of text bubbles on Android, your best bet is to apply a new wallpaper or pick a different color palette. The new theme applies across your phone’s interface, including apps that support Material You theming.

We use a phone running stock Android 13 for these illustrations. The steps may be slightly different on other phones or Android versions.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Click Wallpaper & style.
3. Choose a new wallpaper that has the range of colors you want on your text bubbles.
4. When applied, tap Wallpaper colors.

   

   

5. You’ll see the color schemes pulled from the wallpaper below the screen. Select one of them to apply it to your phone.
6. If you prefer a single color over a dynamic theme, tap Basic Color and pick your preferred theme.

   

While Google Messages relies on Material You to change its look, Samsung Galaxy users can change the color of text bubbles and more in the Samsung Messages app. It’s one of our favorite ways to
improve texting on a Samsung Galaxy
.

Use Material You on Samsung Galaxy phones

Samsung uses a different user interface on Galaxy phones. The One UI Android skin has a different Settings app. Samsung users can follow the steps below to change the device theme and chat bubble color on Android.

1. Open Settings on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
2. Scroll to Wallpaper and style.
3. Select Color palette.

   

   

4. Pick a theme based on your applied wallpaper and move to basic colors. Select a shade you prefer and tap Apply.
5. Open the Google Messages app and check the color of the text bubbles.

   

   

Change the color of text bubbles with accessibility features

Accessibility features are a part of the core features that make Android usable for everyone. If you can’t read messages easily due to a visual impairment or color blindness, Google has accessibility features to help you change the color of text bubbles. Using color correction, color inversion, and dark mode can make text bubbles look better and readable in different situations.

Color correction

Activating one of the four color correction options on Android can make text messages more readable for those with color blindness.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
3. Click Color and motion under the Display section.

   

   

4. Select Color correction.
5. Toggle on Use color correction and tap an option below it to choose your preferred scheme.

   

   

Unlike Google, Samsung buried the Color correction option under the Vision enhancement menu. The steps on your Samsung phone or tablet differ slightly.

1. Open Settings on your Samsung phone.
2. Scroll to Accessibility.
3. Tap Vision enhancements.

   

   

4. Select Color correction and pick a preferred theme from the following menu.

   

5. Open the Messages app and check the new color scheme in action.

Color inversion

Inverting the display colors is perfect if you need more contrast to read text on your phone. When activated, it turns the white pixels on the screen to black and the black pixels to white. Pictures won’t look great, but it makes the text more readable for some.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Color and motion.
4. Select Color inversion.
5. Toggle on Use color inversion.

   

   

If you can’t read your text messages due to photophobia or light sensitivity, turning on a dark theme is a better option. Samsung Galaxy users can follow the steps below to activate color inversion on their devices.

1. Open Settings, scroll to Accessibility, and open Vision enhancements (refer to the steps above).
2. Select Color inversion. Turn on the toggle from the following menu.
3. You can also turn on the color inversion shortcut for each access on your device. That way, you don’t need to dig through Settings to revert the changes.

   

   

Use the default Theme store on your Android phone

While Google doesn’t offer a dedicated theme store on Pixel phones, third-party manufacturers do. If you have an Android phone from Samsung, Xiaomi, or Oppo and use their Messages app, you can change the color of text bubbles by applying another theme. In the screenshots below, we use a Samsung phone as an example and change the color of the text bubbles in the One UI Messages app.

The trick below works with the default Messages app on Samsung devices only. It doesn’t affect the Google Messages app.

1. Long tap your Samsung phone home screen and select Themes.
2. Select a relevant theme, glance over its offering, and tap Download.
3. Tap Apply.

   

   

4. Open the Samsung Messages app and compose a new message or check your existing messages.

Glance over the screenshots below to check the applied theme in the Samsung Messages app.

Try an alternative texting app

Google Messages offers features that make it more than an SMS messaging app. However, it doesn’t do much if you’re looking for fancy customization features to overhaul your text bubbles on Android. Trying a different color palette works, but if it leaves you wanting more, these top texting apps offer some nice customization features.