Guide · WhatsApp Business app · For the owner setting up staff phones

Setting up the WhatsApp Business app for your staff: Arabic, Urdu or Malayalam app language, larger text, dark mode, screen readers and AI-made chat wallpapers

In many Gulf shops the person answering customers on WhatsApp is not the owner: a salesman who reads Arabic best, a cashier who prefers Urdu or Malayalam, an older staff member who needs bigger text, or someone working at a counter in bright sunlight. This guide puts WhatsApp's Help Center articles on fitting the app to the person holding the phone into plain words, with one section on the chat wallpapers WhatsApp lets you make with AI from Meta.

Published 15 October 2026

First: these pages are about WhatsApp in general

These Help Center articles are written for WhatsApp in general. The list of app languages is titled WhatsApp Messenger, and none of the articles names the WhatsApp Business app. We read them all on 15 October 2026.

Our reading

None of these articles says whether the WhatsApp Business app's screens match exactly. We expect these settings to apply to your business phone, so wherever this guide applies them to the WhatsApp Business app, read it as our reading, not as a separate promise from WhatsApp.

The app language follows the phone

WhatsApp's article How to change WhatsApp's language says WhatsApp follows the language of your phone: change the phone to another language and WhatsApp changes with it. On Android, the phone steps it gives are phone Settings > System > Language & region > Add a language, then pick the language and region and move it to the top if asked.

It also says that on Android you might be able to change WhatsApp's language inside the app: on the Welcome screen when you set it up, or later in Settings > App Language. WhatsApp adds a note: if you can't see this feature, it might not be supported in your country or region.

Our reading

Changing the app language inside WhatsApp (where it is offered) lets WhatsApp on a staff member's phone show Malayalam while the rest of the phone stays in English or Arabic. It changes WhatsApp for everyone who uses that phone. If the option isn't there, the phone's own language setting is the way.

Which languages each phone gets

WhatsApp's article About the languages WhatsApp is available in says WhatsApp Messenger is available in over 40 languages on iOS and over 60 on Android. The How to change article puts Android at up to 60. The two lists are not the same:

Android: Includes Arabic, English (US), Urdu - Pakistan, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Filipino, Persian, Malay and Indonesian.
iPhone: Includes Arabic, English (US), Urdu - Pakistan, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Persian, Malay and Indonesian. Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi and Filipino are not on the iPhone list.

Our reading

The list is for WhatsApp Messenger and the Business app is not listed separately, so check the language on the staff member's own phone before you promise it. If someone needs Malayalam or Tamil, the list suggests an Android phone is the safer choice.

Getting help from WhatsApp in your language

WhatsApp's article About WhatsApp support languages says you can reach WhatsApp support in 29 languages, among them Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Farsi, Gujarati, Marathi, Malay and Indonesian. It also says most Help Center articles can be read in 30 languages, including Arabic, Bangla, Farsi, Hindi and Urdu. Malayalam is not on either list.

Bigger text for staff who need it

Text inside chats: On Android, WhatsApp's article How to adjust text says chat text size is set in WhatsApp: Settings > Chats > Font size, then Small, Medium or Large, and OK. The article's iPhone view gives no WhatsApp setting, only the iPhone's own: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Larger Text, with Larger Accessibility Sizes for even bigger text.
Text on other screens: The rest of the app follows the phone's own setting. On Android the article gives device Settings > Accessibility > Display size and text, then move the slider. It says the path may differ by phone, so ask the phone's maker if you can't find it.
Custom fonts: WhatsApp says custom fonts aren't supported.
WhatsApp Web: WhatsApp's article How to change font size says WhatsApp Web has no built-in font size setting. Change the font settings in the browser or on the computer instead.

How WhatsApp Web works for a business number is in Answering customers from a computer.

Dark mode, and reading the screen in sunlight

WhatsApp's article How to use dark mode says dark mode changes WhatsApp's colours from light to dark.

Android: Settings > Appearance > App Theme, then Dark mode, Light, or System default to follow the phone, and Ok. The phone's own theme is in device Settings > Display & touch, under Appearance.
iPhone: WhatsApp uses the same theme as your iPhone (iOS 13 and above). iPhone Settings > Display & Brightness > Dark. Light turns it off, and Automatic switches at set times.
Computer: Click your profile picture > Chats > Theme, then Dark, Light or System default, and Ok.

A separate article, How to make display adjustments, says high contrast settings can help you see your screen more clearly in bright sunlight or low-light environments, and can help people with visual or cognitive impairments. All of these are phone settings, not WhatsApp settings. On Android it lists:

High contrast text: Device Settings > Accessibility > Visibility enhancements, then turn on High contrast text.
Colour correction: Device Settings > Accessibility > Visibility enhancements > Colour correction.
Colour inversion: Device Settings > Accessibility > Visibility enhancements, then turn on Color Inversion to reverse the display's colours.
Magnification: Device Settings > Accessibility > Magnification, then turn on the Magnification shortcut.

For more information, WhatsApp points to the Google Help Center or the phone maker's support.

Our reading

A delivery driver or a staff member at an outdoor counter will read customer chats more easily with high contrast text on.

Accessibility is set on the phone, not in WhatsApp

WhatsApp's article About accessibility features on WhatsApp says you turn these features on through your phone's settings. On Android it lists the following, and links a separate Switch Access article:

Screen readers: Spoken feedback and touch interaction.
Display: Display or font size, zoom or magnification, and contrast or colours.
BrailleBack: Connects a refreshable braille display to the phone by Bluetooth.
Hearing: Captions, Live Caption, Live Transcribe, Sound Amplifier, hearing aid support and real-time text (RTT).
Switch Access: A separate article, How to use Switch Access, says it helps people with limited mobility use their phone with external switches, such as physical buttons, adaptive devices or even facial gestures, without the touchscreen. Device Settings > Accessibility > Switch Access > Use Switch Access > Camera Switch > Next, then a setup wizard assigns a physical or camera switch and a scanning method, such as linear or row-column.

For a computer, WhatsApp's article How to use screen readers says you can use a screen reader with WhatsApp Web to hear on-screen text read aloud, once you turn it on in Mac or Windows. WhatsApp says you can report accessibility problems or send suggestions through a contact form in its Help Center.

Siri on iPhone: send, call and listen without typing

WhatsApp's article How to use Siri with WhatsApp says you can ask Siri to send WhatsApp messages, place WhatsApp calls, or read your unread WhatsApp messages aloud. The Android version of the article says this feature isn't available on the Android app.

Turn it on: iPhone Settings > Siri > Talk to Siri, turn on Press Side Button for Siri, tap Enable Siri, then go back to Siri > Apps > WhatsApp and turn on Use with Siri Request.
Why Siri says nothing is unread: Opening WhatsApp with unread messages resets the notification badge. Siri then treats it as if there were no unread messages and won't read them aloud.

WhatsApp points to Apple's support website for how Apple handles what is sent through Siri. Talking to Meta AI by voice inside WhatsApp is a different feature, covered in Talking to Meta AI out loud on WhatsApp.

The keyboard belongs to the phone

WhatsApp's article Can't use keyboard in WhatsApp says every part of the keyboard on Android is controlled by the Android system, including multi-language keyboards, Text Correction, Spell Check and predictive text. They are turned on and off in Android device Settings > System > Keyboard, and if they aren't working, WhatsApp says it is an issue with Android, not WhatsApp.

Our reading

A staff member who replies in both Arabic and English sets that up in the phone's keyboard settings, not in WhatsApp. If the app keeps crashing or won't open at all, see When the WhatsApp Business app stops working.

Chat themes, colours and wallpapers

WhatsApp's article How to change your app or chat theme says you can pick one of its pre-set chat themes, which change both the chat colour and the wallpaper, or mix and match between 20 different colours. You can set them for every chat or for one chat.

All chats (Android): Settings > Appearance > Default chat theme. Pick a theme and tap Set theme, or tap Wallpaper (Set wallpaper) or Chat color (Set chat bubble) to change just one part.
One chat (Android): Open the chat, open its menu and tap Chat theme. Pick a theme, or tap Wallpaper or Chat bubble.
Computer: WhatsApp Settings or your profile picture > Chats > Wallpaper, pick a colour, and tick Add WhatsApp doodles if you want them.

Our reading

A different theme on one chat can help the owner spot an important chat on their own screen. The article doesn't say whether the other person sees your chat theme, so don't rely on it as a message to the customer.

Chat wallpapers made with AI from Meta

WhatsApp's article How to create and use AI-generated chat themes and wallpapers says you can make an image with AI and use it as a chat theme or wallpaper. The images are generated by AI, based on the prompts and messages you type, using a service from Meta.

Where: Settings > Appearance > Default chat theme > Create with AI for a theme, or Default chat theme > Wallpaper > Create with AI for a wallpaper.
Start: Create image and describe it, Edit photo to upload a photo or image and change it, or pick a suggested image to explore ideas.
Change it: Edit lets you Add, Remove or Change something by describing it. Restyle applies a suggested style, or your own with Describe. Then preview and tap Set.
Languages: At the time we read it: English, Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese only. Urdu and Malayalam are not on the list.
Countries: WhatsApp says Meta AI and some experiences are only available in limited countries and might not be available to you yet, even if others in your country have access.

The article adds three notes. Your personal messages and calls stay protected with end-to-end encryption. Some images generated by Meta AI might not be accurate or appropriate. And Meta uses AI chats consistent with Meta's Privacy Policy; by using the feature, you agree to Meta's AI Terms of Service.

Our reading

Prompts typed into this feature go to a service from Meta, so keep customer names, order details and prices out of them. What Meta says about learning from what you type into Meta AI is in Does Meta AI learn from what you type into it?.

What this means for your business

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center as we read it on 15 October 2026, and is not legal advice.

Our reading

Most of what makes the app easier for staff is a phone setting, not a WhatsApp setting: language, display size, contrast, screen readers and the keyboard. Inside WhatsApp, the settings that matter are App Language, Font size and App Theme on Android (where offered), and chat themes. On iPhone, text size and dark mode come from the iPhone's own settings. Go through these on each staff phone when someone joins, and check the language list against the phone they actually use.

Questions

How do I change the WhatsApp language to Arabic or Urdu?

WhatsApp follows the phone's language, so change the phone's language. On Android you might also be able to change it in the app under Settings > App Language, or on the Welcome screen; WhatsApp says it might not be supported in your country or region.

Is WhatsApp available in Malayalam?

WhatsApp's language list includes Malayalam for Android but not for iOS. The list is titled WhatsApp Messenger, so check the WhatsApp Business app on the staff member's own phone.

Can I contact WhatsApp support in Arabic or Urdu?

Yes. WhatsApp says its support is available in 29 languages, including Arabic and Urdu, and most Help Center articles can be read in 30 languages.

How do I make the text bigger in WhatsApp chats?

On Android: Settings > Chats > Font size, then Small, Medium or Large. On iPhone, WhatsApp's article points only to the iPhone's own text size setting. Other screens follow the phone's display settings, and WhatsApp Web uses the browser's font settings.

How do I turn on dark mode?

On Android: Settings > Appearance > App Theme > Dark mode. On iPhone, WhatsApp follows the iPhone's own Dark setting. On a computer: your profile picture > Chats > Theme > Dark. System default follows the device.

Can I make a WhatsApp chat wallpaper with AI?

Where it is available, yes: Settings > Appearance > Default chat theme > Create with AI. WhatsApp says it uses a service from Meta, works in a limited set of languages including Arabic and English, is only in limited countries, and that some images might not be accurate or appropriate.

Who is BitByteCore?

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center, and is not legal advice.

Sources

WhatsApp Help Center: How to change WhatsApp's language, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About the languages WhatsApp is available in, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About WhatsApp support languages, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to adjust text (Android view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to adjust text (iPhone view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to change font size (WhatsApp Web), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use dark mode (Android view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use dark mode (iPhone view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use dark mode (computer view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to make display adjustments, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About accessibility features on WhatsApp, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use screen readers (WhatsApp Web), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use Switch Access, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use Siri with WhatsApp (iPhone view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: Can't use keyboard in WhatsApp, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to change your app or chat theme (Android view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to change your app or chat theme (computer view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and use AI-generated chat themes and wallpapers, read 15 October 2026.

This guide describes WhatsApp's pages as we read them, and is not legal advice. More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.

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