Wallpapers play a big role in helping you personalize your Android phone, and that’s especially true since the advent ofMaterial You dynamic theming, which colorizes app interfaces and icons using colors pulled from your wallpaper. That’s part of the reason Androidupdates often include new wallpapers. However, Android doesn’t yet let you set one live wallpaper as your lock screen, and another as your home screen background. We now have a ballpark estimate of when this feature could make its way to Android, at least on Pixel phones.
By default, Android allows you to set separate static backgrounds for the home and lock screens, or a static image on the lock screen and a live wallpaper on the home screen. you’re able to even set up the same live wallpaper on both, enjoying a smooth animation when you unlock your device. However, it is impossible to set one live wallpaper as your lock screen and another as your home screen background. Effectively, Android prohibits the simultaneous use of two live wallpapers.
We spotted code commitsback in March suggesting this behavior could change. Now, Android alpha geekMishaal Rahman has spotteda GoogleIssueTracker postsuggesting the feature has been implemented in the Android quarterly platform release (QPR) that’s currently in development. If everything goes to plan, that would be the underlying QPR for the December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop.
This conversation between the IssueTracker author, a Samsung engineer, and the Google staffer, likely wasn’t meant for the world to see because it seems to reference the wrong ticket ID. While most of us will have to wait until the official release of this feature, Rahman points out that people comfortable with root access to their phones can enable the following toggle in currentAndroid 14 public betabuilds to enable the feature.
persist.wm.debug.lockscreen_live_wallpaper
It might seem like a minor change, but the ability to apply live wallpapers on your home and lock screens independent of each other will be a great move for customization enthusiasts. For instance, you could have an informative lock screen wallpaper with plenty of glanceable information, while your home screen usesAndroid 14’s new emoji wallpapersto ensure app icons stand out, prioritizing function over form. It should also tie in nicely with Android 14’s newlock screen personalization options. That said, timelines could shift, and this cannot be treated as a promise for a rollout in December.
