Google might soon borrow a neat trick from the iPhone to give its users much better control over how their home screens look. Recent software updates suggest the company is currently working on an upgraded photo shuffle tool for its own smartphones. This upcoming feature would let you easily rotate your favorite pictures as wallpapers automatically, matching a very popular customization option already available on competing devices.
Beta software reveals advanced options for changing your background photos
Clues found inside the Android 17 QPR1 beta 5 release show that a new photo shuffle feature is in the works. Right now, Pixel owners can set their wallpapers to change daily. However, they do not have any control over which specific photos show up or how often the image switches. This upcoming update fixes that problem.
You will soon be able to pick an existing album or create a brand new one filled with your favorite pets and people. From there, you can choose exactly when the background changes. The test code suggests options to shuffle the image every hour, every day, at sunrise and sunset, or simply whenever you tap the screen.
Pixel fans can finally skip downloading extra battery-draining apps
This change brings the Pixel lineup much closer to what Apple already offers. Currently, iOS users can easily head into their settings and set up a custom photo shuffle with just a few taps. Because the native Android tool is so limited right now, Pixel users who want this same freedom have to download third-party apps from the Play Store. These extra apps often drain the battery quickly and take up unnecessary storage space.
Adding this feature directly into the main operating system will make customizing the phone much easier. It gives people a simple way to make their devices feel a bit more personal without sacrificing their battery life.
