DEV Community: ScreenLux

How to Use Dark Theme and Wallpaper Colors on Android

WatchLux — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:06:50 +0000

Dark theme and your wallpaper's color scheme together decide how most of your Android phone looks. Google documents both in its Android Help center. This guide covers turning dark theme on and off, why it sometimes turns on by itself, the newer expanded option, and how to change the color palette taken from your wallpaper.

Google notes that some of these steps work only on Android 13 and up, and menus can differ by phone maker.

Turn dark theme on or off

Open the Settings app.
Tap Display.
Turn Dark theme on or off.

Google's tip: dark theme can make your screen easier to read and can save battery on some screens.

From Quick Settings

Toggle it: tap the Dark theme tile in Quick Settings. If you don't see it, add the tile to your Quick Settings panel first.
Open its settings: touch and hold the tile to open the dark theme settings page.

Why dark theme turned on by itself

If you see a dark color scheme but didn't turn on Dark theme, Google says battery saver may be the reason. When battery saver is on, dark theme may turn on automatically, and on some phones battery saver turns on when the charge falls below a certain level, like 15%.

To turn off battery saver: Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Turn off now.

To stop it from turning on automatically: Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Set a schedule, then choose No schedule.

Google also notes you can't use battery saver in light theme. If you want light theme, turn battery saver off.

Dark theme's expanded option

The expanded option applies dark theme to more apps. Turn it on in Settings > Display & touch > Dark theme > Expanded.

Google's caveats:

Some apps may look different. Images may appear altered, or text on top of images may be hard to read.
To exclude an app, tap Settings next to the expanded option and turn off the toggle for that app.
To turn it off for all apps, select Standard on the dark theme settings page.

If an app still looks light, it may not support the expanded option yet, or it may have opted out.

Change the color scheme from your wallpaper

Open Settings.
Tap Wallpaper & style.
To change the palette drawn from your wallpaper, tap Wallpaper colors and choose a palette.
To use a specific color instead, tap Basic colors and choose one.

Pairing wallpapers with dark theme

These are design suggestions rather than settings:

Pick a darker wallpaper when you use dark theme, so the Home screen matches the darker menus.
Choose wallpapers with one strong accent color. The palette it generates tends to look more cohesive.
Try a few palettes. Preview more than one option under Wallpaper colors before settling on one.

Troubleshooting

An app stays light: it may not offer dark theme. Check the app's own Theme or Display settings.
An app is dark in light theme: the app may have its own dark setting on, or use a dark design that can't be changed.
Dark theme keeps coming back: check whether battery saver is on or scheduled.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you want moving artwork to pair with dark theme, ScreenLux is the app I built for Android 8.0 and up. ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

Android: ScreenLux on Google Play

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Use Photo Shuffle for a Rotating iPhone Lock Screen Wallpaper

WatchLux — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:05:32 +0000

Can't pick one favorite photo? iPhone's Photo Shuffle rotates your Lock Screen through a set of pictures automatically: on tap, every time you lock the phone, hourly, or daily. It's built into the wallpaper settings. Here's how to set it up, following Apple's support pages.

Set up Photo Shuffle

Open Settings and tap Wallpaper.
Tap Add New Wallpaper.
Select Photo Shuffle from the top row of options.
Choose one or more categories, such as People, Nature, or Cities, or choose an existing album.
Choose a shuffle frequency: On Tap, On Lock, Hourly, or Daily.
Tap Use Album or Use Featured Photos when you're done (the button text depends on your choice).

Then finish the same way as any wallpaper: tap Add, and choose Set as Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen.

Pick the photos yourself

If you'd rather curate the set:

From the Photo Shuffle screen, tap Select Photos Manually.
Pick your images and tap the checkmark button.
Tap the ellipsis (...) button to choose a shuffle frequency.
Tap Add.

Which frequency should you choose?

On Tap: a new photo each time you tap the Lock Screen. Fun if you like flipping through.
On Lock: changes each time you lock your iPhone, so you see something new often.
Hourly: a steady pace through the day.
Daily: one photo per day, a calm "photo of the day" feel.

Change your Photo Shuffle later

On the Lock Screen, touch and hold to open your wallpaper gallery.
Swipe to your Photo Shuffle wallpaper and tap Customize.
Per Apple's Lock Screen guide, tap the photo thumbnail to change the photo selection, or use the more options button to change the shuffle frequency.
Tap Done.

Make it look polished

Photo Shuffle sits on a regular Lock Screen, so the usual Lock Screen tools still apply. From the editor you can add widgets, change how the time is displayed, try different styles for your wallpaper image, and swap the controls at the bottom.

A few tips:

Choose a consistent theme. One album (a trip, your pet, your garden) looks more intentional than your whole library.
Favor vertical photos. They fill the screen without awkward crops.
Leave room for the clock. Images with open sky or plain background up top keep the time readable.

Keep several Lock Screens

You can create more than one Lock Screen and switch between them. A Photo Shuffle Lock Screen for weekends and a calmer single-image one for work is a nice combination. From the Lock Screen gallery you can also link a Focus to a wallpaper.

Remove a Photo Shuffle wallpaper

Touch and hold the Lock Screen, swipe to the wallpaper, swipe up, and tap the trash icon.

Troubleshooting

The same photo keeps showing: check the frequency. Daily changes only once a day.
Wrong photos appear: switch from a category to Select Photos Manually, or point it at a specific album.
Can't open the gallery with Face ID: Apple's tip is to touch and hold the Lock Screen again, then enter your passcode.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you want motion on the Lock Screen as well as variety, ScreenLux is the app I built. On iPhone you save its wallpapers as Live Photos (iOS 17 or later). ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

iPhone: ScreenLux on the App Store

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Set a Video Wallpaper on Android

WatchLux — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:33:17 +0000

A moving background makes an Android phone feel more personal, but how you get one depends on who made your phone. Samsung Galaxy phones can set a video from your Gallery directly. Other phones, including Pixel, offer preset and photo wallpapers in their Wallpaper & style menu, and you add video through a live wallpaper app. Here's how both work.

Samsung Galaxy: set a video on the Lock screen

You'll need a Lock screen (PIN, pattern, or password) set up first. Save the video on your phone; if it's in a cloud service, download it.

Touch and hold the Lock screen and enter your PIN, pattern, or password.
Tap Wallpapers, then tap Gallery.
Find and select your video, then tap Done.
To shorten it, tap Trim and use the sliders. Tap Play to preview, then Done.
Tap Done in the top right to set it as your Lock screen wallpaper.

Samsung Galaxy: set a video on the Home screen

On supported models and One UI versions:

Touch and hold an empty spot on the Home screen and tap Wallpaper and style.
Tap Change wallpapers, then Gallery.
Select your video and tap Done.
Trim it if you like, then tap Done in the top right.

If your model only allows video on the Lock screen, the Home screen will use a still image instead.

Pixel and other Android phones

Pixel's built-in Wallpaper & style menu uses preset images, your own photos, and effects. To check what's on your phone:

On the Home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
Tap Wallpaper & style, then Change wallpaper.
Choose Lock screen or Home screen to set them separately, pick a wallpaper, then tap Preview and Apply.

For a video, install a live wallpaper app from Google Play. Live wallpaper apps register with Android's wallpaper system, so after you pick a video inside the app, you'll get a standard Android prompt to preview and apply it. Depending on your phone and Android version, you may be able to choose Home screen, Lock screen, or both.

Tips for smooth video wallpapers

Short loops look best. A clean 5 to 15 second loop avoids an obvious jump.
Match your screen. Vertical, high-resolution video fills the display without awkward cropping.
Keep it calm. Slow motion like clouds, water, or light reads well behind icons.
Mind your battery. A moving background naturally does more work than a still one. If battery matters on a given day, switch back to a still wallpaper.

Samsung: set a video straight from Gallery

On many Galaxy models you can also open the video in Gallery, tap the More options (three dots) menu, and choose Set as wallpaper. Then pick the screen and trim the clip if prompted. Trimming to the best few seconds usually gives the cleanest loop.

Troubleshooting

No video option in Gallery picker: your model may only support video on the Lock screen; try setting it there first.
Video gets cut off: use Trim, or pick a shorter clip.
Wallpaper resets after restart: update the live wallpaper app and check that battery optimization isn't restricting it.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you want ready-made motion artwork rather than your own clips, ScreenLux is the app I built for Android 8.0 and up. It applies through the standard Android live wallpaper prompt described above. ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

Android: ScreenLux on Google Play

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

How to Set a Live Wallpaper on iPhone with Live Photos

WatchLux — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:24:04 +0000

Since iOS 17, iPhone supports Live Photos as a Lock Screen wallpaper again: the image plays briefly whenever you wake your phone. It's built in, it takes about a minute, and it's a nice way to put a favorite moment in motion. Here are Apple's steps, plus the reasons it sometimes doesn't animate.

What you need

An iPhone running iOS 17 or later.
A Live Photo in your library. Shooting one is easy: in the Camera app, make sure the Live Photo button is on before you take the picture.

Set a Live Photo as your Lock Screen wallpaper

Open Settings and tap Wallpaper.
Tap Add New Wallpaper.
Tap Photos.
Tap Live Photo to filter to your Live Photos.
Tap the Live Photo you want to use.
Customize it. Pinch to position the image, and make sure the play button is on so it plays when you wake your iPhone.
Tap Add.
Tap Set as Wallpaper Pair to use it on the Lock Screen and Home Screen, or tap Customize Home Screen to set a different Home Screen wallpaper.

Shortcut: touch and hold your Lock Screen to open the wallpaper gallery, then tap the add button to start a new wallpaper.

What moves and what doesn't

The Lock Screen plays the Live Photo when you wake the phone, then settles on the still frame.
The Home Screen shows a still image. That's expected behavior.

If your wallpaper won't animate

Check the play button. If it's off in the editor, the wallpaper is set as a still. Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, choose the Lock Screen, and turn it on.
Turn off Low Power Mode. It can stop Live Photo playback.
Make sure it's really a Live Photo. Images saved from the web or screenshots are stills. In Photos, Live Photos show a LIVE badge.
Pick a different clip. Short, steady Live Photos with a clear subject tend to look best.

Try a Spatial Scene too

With iOS 26 on iPhone 12 or later, Apple can turn certain photos into 3D Spatial Scene wallpapers. Go to Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper > Photos, scroll the top bar to Spatial Scene, and pick a photo. This adds depth as you move the phone, rather than playing a clip.

Set it from the Photos app instead

You can also start in Photos: open the Live Photo, tap the share button, scroll down and tap Use as Wallpaper, then tap Add and choose whether to use it as a wallpaper pair or customize the Home Screen separately. Check that the Live Photo play button is on before you tap Add, or it will be set as a still.

Tips for a good-looking Live wallpaper

Leave room for the clock. Position the subject so the time and widgets don't cover faces.
Keep it subtle. Gentle motion (water, hair, a wave) looks better than fast action.
Make a few. You can keep several Lock Screens and swipe between them in the wallpaper gallery.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you'd rather start from ready-made motion artwork than your own camera roll, ScreenLux is the app I built for that. You save a wallpaper as a Live Photo, then follow the same Settings steps above. ScreenLux: live wallpapers for iPhone and 4K video wallpapers for Android. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.

ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.

My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.

iPhone: ScreenLux on the App Store

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux