How to Change WhatsApp Keyboard Theme (Android and iPhone) 2026

Overview: WhatsApp does not have a built-in keyboard theme setting. The keyboard you see in WhatsApp is controlled by your phone's operating system and the keyboard app you have installed — not by WhatsApp itself. To change the WhatsApp keyboard theme, you change the theme inside your keyboard app: Gboard, SwiftKey, or Samsung Keyboard on Android, or Gboard and SwiftKey on iPhone. This guide covers step-by-step instructions for each keyboard app, how to switch your active keyboard inside WhatsApp, how to get a dark keyboard, a comparison table of keyboard apps and their theme options, troubleshooting, and privacy considerations for third-party keyboard apps.

If you searched for how to change the WhatsApp keyboard theme and expected to find a setting inside WhatsApp, that setting does not exist. WhatsApp uses whatever keyboard your phone has set as the default. To get a dark keyboard, a coloured background, or a custom theme while typing in WhatsApp, you change it in your keyboard app itself. The steps below cover exactly how to do that for every common keyboard on Android and iPhone. For businesses that want to go beyond personalising how their keyboard looks and also personalise what they send, a WhatsApp bulk message sender free tool like Roklo handles that separately. But first, the keyboard steps.

WhatsApp is a messaging app, not a keyboard app. It does not control the keyboard that appears when you type — that is entirely managed by your phone's operating system. On Android, your system keyboard might be Gboard (default on many Android phones), SwiftKey (default on some Huawei and Samsung phones), or Samsung Keyboard (on Galaxy devices). On iPhone, it is Apple's default keyboard unless you install a third-party option.

When you open WhatsApp and tap to type, the keyboard that appears is exactly the same keyboard that appears in every other app on your phone. To change its theme, colour, or appearance, you go to that keyboard app's own settings — not to WhatsApp.

Before changing your keyboard theme, confirm which keyboard app you are using. This determines which steps apply to you.

To check which keyboard is currently active on Android: go to Settings, search for Keyboard or Language and Input, and look at the current keyboard app. On iPhone: go to Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, and check the list.

Gboard is Google's keyboard, pre-installed on most Android phones. It offers preset themes including solid colours, landscapes, and the ability to use any photo from your gallery as the keyboard background.

Method 1: From the Gboard keyboard bar (fastest)

1. Open WhatsApp and tap inside any chat to open the keyboard.
2. Look for a small gear icon or a Gboard logo at the top of the keyboard bar.
3. Tap it. If you see a gear icon, tap it. If you see the Gboard icon, tap and hold, then tap Settings.
4. Tap Theme.
5. Browse preset themes: Solid Colors, Light, Dark, Custom (your photo).

6. Tap a theme to preview it, then tap Apply.

   

Method 2: From Android Settings

1. Open your Android phone's Settings.
2. Tap General Management, or search for Keyboard or Language and Input.
3. Tap On-screen keyboard or Virtual keyboard.
4. Tap Gboard.
5. Tap Theme.
6. Choose from preset options or tap the plus icon to use a photo from your gallery.
7. Tap Apply.

In short: Gboard theme: tap the gear icon on the keyboard, tap Theme, browse and apply. Or go through Android Settings > Virtual keyboard > Gboard > Theme.

Microsoft SwiftKey offers over 100 preset themes plus the ability to use custom colours and photos. It is the default keyboard on some Huawei phones and is widely used as an alternative to Gboard on any Android device.

1. Open the SwiftKey app on your Android phone (find it in your app list, not just from the keyboard).
2. Tap Themes at the top of the SwiftKey app.
3. Browse three tabs: Gallery (preset themes), Yours (themes you have previously applied or downloaded), and Custom (create your own with a photo or colour).
4. Tap a theme to preview it.
5. Tap Select to apply it.

In short: SwiftKey theme: open the SwiftKey app, tap Themes, choose from Gallery or Custom, tap Select. Or access it from the SwiftKey icon on the keyboard bar inside WhatsApp.

Samsung Keyboard is the built-in keyboard on Galaxy phones. Theme options vary by Galaxy model and One UI version, but the general path is consistent.

1. Open a chat in WhatsApp to bring up the Samsung Keyboard.
2. Tap the settings icon (gear icon) at the top of the keyboard, or tap the Samsung Keyboard logo if visible.
3. Tap Themes or High contrast keyboard, depending on your Galaxy model.
4. Browse the available preset themes.
5. Tap a theme to preview it, then tap Apply.

Alternatively, go through phone Settings:

1. Open Settings on your Samsung phone.
2. Go to General management.
3. Tap Samsung Keyboard settings.
4. Tap Themes.
5. Select and apply your preferred theme.

Apple's built-in iPhone keyboard has no theme customisation option. It follows system dark mode or light mode only. To get a custom keyboard theme in WhatsApp on iPhone, you need to install a third-party keyboard app like Gboard or SwiftKey, enable it, and switch to it while typing in WhatsApp.

Step 1: Install a Third-Party Keyboard

Open the App Store and download one of these keyboard apps:

• Gboard (by Google) — free, extensive theme options including photos and solid colours
• Microsoft SwiftKey — free, 100+ preset themes, custom colours
• Fleksy — free, colourful preset themes

Step 2: Enable the Keyboard in iPhone Settings

1. Open your iPhone Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Keyboard.
4. Tap Keyboards.
5. Tap Add New Keyboard.
6. Scroll through the list and select the keyboard you just installed (e.g., Gboard or SwiftKey).
7. Tap the keyboard name in your list and toggle on Allow Full Access if the keyboard app requires it for theme features.

Step 3: Switch the Keyboard Inside WhatsApp

1. Open WhatsApp and tap inside any chat to bring up the keyboard.
2. Look for the globe icon or smiley face icon at the bottom left of the keyboard.
3. Touch and hold the globe icon.
4. A menu of your installed keyboards appears. Tap the keyboard you want to use.

5. The keyboard switches immediately. The theme you set in that keyboard app now appears.

   

Step 4: Apply a Theme in the Keyboard App

For Gboard on iPhone:

1. Open the Gboard app from your home screen (not from within WhatsApp).
2. Tap Gboard at the top.
3. Tap Themes.
4. Browse presets or tap the plus icon to use a photo.
5. Tap the theme, then tap Apply.

For SwiftKey on iPhone:

1. Open the SwiftKey app from your home screen.
2. Tap Themes at the top.
3. Browse Gallery, Yours, or Custom tabs.
4. Tap a theme, then tap Select.

Once the theme is applied in the keyboard app, it appears automatically the next time you use that keyboard in WhatsApp.

A dark keyboard combined with WhatsApp's dark mode gives the most comfortable night-time typing experience. There are three ways to achieve this:

Option 1: Enable system dark mode (automatic on all keyboards)

Enabling dark mode at the system level automatically applies a dark theme to all supported keyboards, including Gboard, SwiftKey, Samsung Keyboard, and Apple's default keyboard on iPhone. No keyboard-specific steps needed.

Android: Settings > Display > Dark theme or Dark mode. Toggle on.

iPhone: Settings > Display and Brightness > Dark. Or swipe down from the top right to open Control Centre and tap the dark mode toggle.

Option 2: Set a dark theme specifically in your keyboard app

In Gboard: open Theme settings and select a dark preset (labelled Dark or choose a solid dark colour).

In SwiftKey: open Themes and choose any dark theme from the Gallery. Many are specifically labelled for dark use.

This option lets you use a dark keyboard even when your phone is in light mode.

Option 3: Enable WhatsApp dark mode alongside the dark keyboard

To make the entire WhatsApp experience dark — not just the keyboard — enable dark mode inside WhatsApp itself:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Tap the three dots (Android) or Settings (iPhone).
3. Tap Settings > Chats > Theme.
4. Select Dark.

The most common issue after changing a keyboard theme is that WhatsApp still shows the old keyboard. This table covers every common cause and fix.

Third-party keyboard apps have access to everything you type, including messages, passwords, bank details, and personal conversations. This is not unique to any single app — it is a fundamental requirement of how keyboards work. The keyboard must see your keystrokes to function.

• Use keyboard apps from established developers only: Google (Gboard), Microsoft (SwiftKey), Samsung, Apple, and Fleksy are keyboard apps with transparent privacy policies and regular security updates. Unknown keyboard apps with few reviews or obscure developers carry a real risk of keystroke logging.
• Read the permissions: On iPhone, be careful about Allow Full Access. On Android, check what permissions the keyboard requests during installation. Contacts, storage, and network access are sometimes requested. Evaluate whether each permission is necessary for the features you want.
• Keep keyboard apps updated: Security patches are released regularly. An outdated keyboard app has unpatched vulnerabilities. Update via Play Store or App Store whenever an update is available.
• You cannot limit a keyboard to WhatsApp only: There is no setting that applies a keyboard app to one specific app only. The keyboard you choose applies across your entire phone. If you use a third-party keyboard, it types in your banking app, your email, and everywhere else too.

For other WhatsApp account security settings including two-step verification, linked device management, and privacy controls, how to secure your WhatsApp Business chats covers the complete set of settings relevant to both personal and business accounts.

For businesses that want to personalise what they send through WhatsApp, not just how the keyboard looks, sending personalised bulk WhatsApp messages with the {{name}} variable means every customer on your list receives their own version of a message. Roklo handles this from your browser in under two minutes, with no API approval or per-message charge.

WhatsApp does not have its own keyboard theme setting. To change the keyboard theme in WhatsApp, you change it in your keyboard app — Gboard, SwiftKey, Samsung Keyboard, or a third-party app on iPhone. The steps take under two minutes and the theme applies immediately the next time you type in any app, including WhatsApp.

For a dark keyboard, the fastest method is enabling system dark mode on your phone. This automatically applies dark styling to all supported keyboards without any keyboard-specific configuration. Pairing system dark mode with WhatsApp's own dark mode setting gives the most complete dark experience.

For personalising both how WhatsApp looks to you and what your messages say to others, combining a custom keyboard theme with Roklo's Free WhatsApp Bulk Message Sender for Indian Businesses covers both sides. The keyboard is what you see when you type. Roklo handles what your contacts see when you send.

Also Read: WhatsApp Chat Default Background: Change & Restore (2026)