Pixel owners have long looked over at their iPhone-using friends with a bit of wallpaper envy. That might be about to change, as Google appears to be building a native "Photo Shuffle" feature directly into Android.
Evidence uncovered in the Android 17 QPR1 beta 5 suggests the long-awaited function will be integrated into the Pixel’s "Wallpaper & style" app, finally letting users cycle through their favorite photos without the battery drain of third-party apps.
Your Photos, Your Wallpaper: How Pixel’s Shuffle Will Work
You'll get granular control over how often the image changes. The discovered settings include options to refresh your wallpaper:
- Hourly
- Daily
- At sunrise and sunset
- On tap
While the Pixel OS has a hidden wallpaper shuffling capability now, it’s limited to pre-defined collections and offers no real user control.
The new Photo Shuffle appears to be a much more prominent and customizable tool, designed to be as user-friendly and efficient as its iOS counterpart.
Of course, this is all based on a beta teardown. Features can change or disappear before the final public release, but for now, the evidence points to a major wallpaper upgrade for Pixel fans.