Google Messages' new chat wallpaper feature is stumbling out of the gate (Update: Google's response)

Update: September 4, 2026 (4:06 PM ET): A Google spokesperson has provided Android Authority with the following response:

We are actively rolling out chat themes, and availability may fluctuate as we optimize the experience. We’re looking into user reports of latency and freezing.

Original article: September 4, 2026 (1:09 PM ET): After months of testing, Google finally widely rolled out chat themes in the Messages app in August. This feature lets you set a background for a chat, giving you another way to customize your individual conversations. While it’s an exciting addition to the app, it looks like the feature is already having a couple of issues.

If chat themes suddenly disappeared from the Google Messages app for you, then you’re not alone. Some users who recently got the feature claim that it is now gone for them. Others say that chat themes disappeared, then suddenly reappeared. A Google representative has replied to one of the Reddit threads, advising users to check the Play Store for a Messages app update, as a fix may have already been released.

In addition to chat themes disappearing and reappearing, users are noticing that their wallpapers aren’t loading instantly. There appears to be a lag of one to two seconds between when a chat is opened and when the wallpaper loads in. You can see an example in the clip below. I have noticed this lag on my Pixel 6 Pro as well. One user also claims that the feature freezes when they try to pick a theme or back out of the selector.

Android Authority has reached out to Google for comment. We will update this article once new information becomes available. Until then, let us know if you have also been experiencing these problems.