Wallpapers

Personalisation

7.1~~/10~~

Our score

★ 4.1 Google Play·1B+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-10-01

Screenshots

Google Wallpapers screen with separate home and lock screen images: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a satellite view of Qesm Al Wahat Ad Dakhlah, Egypt

Daily wallpaper banner above the My photos and Cityscape categories in the Google Wallpapers picker

Category grid with Sky high and Earth tiles above a coastal cliff photo and blurred city lights

Earth category of satellite photos with a blue Daily wallpaper tile that says Tap to turn on

Full-screen preview of a satellite image of Qesm Al Wahat Ad Dakhlah, Egypt, credited to CNES/Spot Image and DigitalGlobe, with a Set wallpaper button

Set wallpaper dialog offering Home screen, Lock screen or Both

About Wallpapers

Google's Wallpapers app is the stock picker behind Android backgrounds. Pixel phones build it into the system as Wallpaper & style, where Pixel 8 and later models add AI wallpaper and the interface recolors to match each image. Other Android phones get the Google Play build, which, unlike Zedge, carries no ads and no in-app purchases. The catch: that Play build was last updated on September 9, 2020.

App information

DeveloperGoogle LLC

Version14

Size9 MB

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsNo

In-app purchasesNo

Content ratingEveryone

Requires (Android)Android 13+

Offline modePartial: your own photos can be set offline; Google's collections and Daily wallpaper download images over the internet

Store rating (Google Play)4.1 from 295,218 ratings

Installs1B+

Data checked2026-10-01

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-10-01. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

Wallpapers Review: Pixels Get AI Art, Other Phones Get a 2020 Picker

What the free Google Play build does, and why it stopped in 2020

On phones that are not Pixels, the Google Play build is a plain picker with no ads and no in-app purchases. Its store screenshots show Earth, Cityscape and Sky high categories next to My photos, with satellite images credited to CNES and DigitalGlobe in 2014. Daily wallpaper is the one automation: pick a category and the app swaps in a new image each day. Separate home and lock screen images need Android 7.0 or later. The listing was last updated on September 9, 2020, and its description still promises images from Google+, which Google shut down for consumers on April 2, 2019. Google Play reviews from 2019 to September 2026 still ask for new images.

AI wallpaper on Pixel 8 and later: set prompts and matching colors

On a Pixel, the same job sits under Wallpaper & style: touch and hold the home screen, then tap More wallpapers. Pixel 8 and later models add AI wallpaper. You pick a theme and the phone offers a prewritten prompt; tap an underlined word to swap it, or tap Inspire me for a random version. Create wallpaper returns several images to swipe through, and any one you apply is saved for reuse. Google announced the feature at I/O 2023 and shipped it with Android 14, built on its text-to-image diffusion model and a set list of prompts rather than a blank text field. The image you set also drives Material You, which arrived with Android 12 on Pixel 3 and later in October 2021: the system extracts colors from the wallpaper and applies them to the lock screen, notifications, settings and widgets.

Pixel 4a to Pixel 9a cutoffs, system permissions and no uninstall button

Google's help pages draw the device lines that the Play page skips: Emoji Workshop, which builds patterns from up to 14 emoji, needs a Pixel 4a or later; the Cinematic 3D effect needs a Pixel 6 or later; shape and weather effects need a Pixel 9a or later model. The permission list is broader than a picker suggests: read phone status and identity, full network access, run at startup, prevent the device from sleeping and modify secure system settings. The Data safety form says nothing is shared with third parties, while crash logs, device IDs and app interactions are collected for analytics. Reviewers say preinstalled copies cannot be removed, and owners of Motorola phones and a Pixel 7 Pro describe Google Play listing the app as installed while no icon appears.

Pros

No ads and no in-app purchases, unlike Zedge's ad-supported catalog
Daily wallpaper swaps in a new image from your chosen category every day
Separate home and lock screen images on Android 7.0 and later
Pixel 8 and later generate AI wallpaper from guided prompts, saved for reuse
Changing the image recolors the whole Pixel interface through Material You
Emoji Workshop builds patterns from up to 14 emoji on Pixel 4a and later

Cons

The Google Play build has not been updated since September 9, 2020
Daily wallpaper ignores your own photos and live wallpaper, per Google's help
Reviewers report images set off-center and no option to save them
Reviewers say preinstalled copies cannot be uninstalled, and some vanish from view

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Verdict

We score it 7.1: free, ad-free and purchase-free, and on a Pixel 8 or later it puts AI wallpaper, Emoji Workshop and Material You colors in one menu. Take it if you own a Pixel, or if you want a quiet daily rotation of Earth and city photos on any Android phone without ads. Skip the Play build if you want fresh images, rotation of your own photos or exact cropping: Muzei rotates your gallery for free, and Zedge offers a far larger catalog with ads.

Core function6.5AI, emoji and color tools exist only on Pixels; other phones get a 2020 photo picker.

Ease of use7.0Long-press, preview, then apply to home, lock or both, but reviewers report off-center crops.

Monetisation9.5Free with no ads, in-app purchases or credits; AI wallpaper costs nothing beyond owning a Pixel 8.

Performance5.5Play build unchanged since September 2020; reviews describe vanished icons and daily rotation stalling after days.

Privacy & permissions7.0No third-party sharing per Data safety, but it can read phone identity and keep the device awake.

7.1out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Google Wallpapers app free?

Yes. The Google Play listing shows no price, no Contains ads label and no in-app purchases, and Google Play reviewers have described it as ad-free since 2018. The trade-off is content: the Play build was last updated on September 9, 2020, and reviewers say its Earth, cityscape and landscape images have barely changed since. Zedge has a far larger catalog, but with ads and paid items.

Can I get Pixel AI wallpapers on a Samsung phone?

No. Google's Pixel help limits AI wallpaper to Pixel 8 and later models, and it may be unavailable on Family Link accounts. On Samsung and other Android phones, the Google Play build of this app is a September 2020 release, three years older than the feature, so it offers photo categories, your own images and Daily wallpaper, but no AI generation.

Is Google Wallpapers worth installing on a non-Pixel phone?

Only if you want an ad-free daily rotation from Google's photo categories. It costs nothing, but the Play build dates from September 2020, Daily wallpaper ignores your own photos, and Google Play reviewers describe images set off-center with no way to save them. Pixel owners already have Wallpaper & style built in, with more tools.

Why can't I find the Google Wallpapers app on my phone?

Where it comes preinstalled, it runs as part of the system, so Google Play can show it as installed while no icon appears in the app drawer; reviewers on Motorola phones and a Pixel 7 Pro report exactly that. On a Pixel, open it by touching and holding an empty spot on the home screen and tapping Wallpaper & style. Reviewers also report that preinstalled copies cannot be uninstalled.

What app can rotate my own photos as wallpaper?

Muzei Live Wallpaper, a free open-source app by Roman Nurik and Ian Lake, rotates favorite photos from your gallery every few hours and otherwise shows a daily artwork. Google's help confirms its own Daily wallpaper does not work with personal photos or live wallpaper. Zedge can rotate backgrounds at set intervals too, but it shows ads and sells in-app purchases; Backdrops removes its ads only with a Pro upgrade.