One of the new features in Android 12 is the ability to automatically match your phone’s color palette to your wallpaper’s color palette. If you were able to upgrade to Android 12, you might want to give it a try, especially if you’re interested in style and colors.
I tried it on a Pixel 3 running Android 12 beta and the results were interesting. When I used the sample wallpapers provided by Google and enabled the “themed icons” feature (which should allow your icons to match the style of your wallpaper), I was greeted with a new background color that appeared in the search field at the bottom. Your screen, Quick Tiles (the buttons you get when you swipe down from the top) and other items.
I wasn’t that impressed with the “themed icons” feature – it turned some, but not all, of the icons on my homepage into black designs against a colored background. To be honest, I think the regular multicolored icons look much better, but the selection is nice to have.
Would you like to try it yourself? Easy.
- Long press on an empty part of your home screen until you see the popup menu.
- Select “Wallpaper and style”.
- Select “Change wallpaper”.
- Tap one of the categories presented on the Wallpaper screen and then select a specific image. Or tap the top button called “My Photos” to choose one of your own photos.
- After selecting your image, you will be shown a preview of how it will look on your home screen and lock screen. (Two buttons below the preview image let you switch between the two.) If you’re satisfied, tap the checkmark in the lower right corner.
- A drop-down menu gives you the option to use the wallpaper on your home screen, lock screen, or both. And you’re done! You will find yourself on your homepage with your new wallpaper.
If you want to try themed icons or use a dark theme, go back to the “Wallpaper & style” page, scroll down a bit and turn on one or both. Here is what the Mandalorian wallpaper looks like with both regular app icons and themed icons:
I also tried the new color palette feature with one of my own photos as wallpaper: a green grass with a few purple flowers. It worked perfectly there too. Quick tiles and themed icons such as lock screen numbers and other elements have all been given a pale green color.
Depending on your wallpaper photo, you can also choose a different color combination for your theme.
- On the “Wallpaper and style” page, select “Wallpaper colors” and choose one of the color combinations shown. You can also tap on “Basic colors” if you want something basic.
While these style combinations won’t affect your phone’s efficiency or performance, the idea that you can adjust the look of your screen to your taste or mood is pretty cool. If you have access to Android 12 I would try this – it can make a real difference in how you view your Android phone.
