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How to Create AI and Emoji Wallpapers on a Google Pixel Phone

#android #pixel #wallpaper #tutorial

Pixel phones can make wallpapers for you, not just display them. You can generate an AI wallpaper from a fill-in-the-blanks prompt, or build an emoji wallpaper with your own emoji, pattern and color. Both live in Wallpaper & style. This guide follows Google's Pixel Phone Help page.

Which phones support what

  • AI wallpapers: Pixel 8 and later. Google notes they may not be available for certain account types, like Family Link accounts.
  • Emoji wallpapers: Pixel 4a and later.

Part 1: Generate an AI wallpaper

  1. On your phone's home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
  2. Tap Wallpaper & style, then More wallpapers, then AI wallpaper.
  3. Choose a theme.
  4. To get a random wallpaper for your chosen prompt, tap Inspire me. To explore specific options, tap any underlined word in the prompt.
  5. Tap Create wallpaper.
  6. To choose between several generated wallpapers, swipe left or right.

Google says you fill in the blanks of a prewritten template, swipe through options to fine-tune the result, and can save created wallpapers for reuse later.

Part 2: Design an emoji wallpaper

Pick your emoji:

  1. On the home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
  2. Tap Wallpaper & style, then Change wallpaper, then Emoji Workshop.
  3. At the bottom right, tap Edit.
  4. Choose your emoji. Pick specific ones from the keyboard (up to 14), or tap Randomize for a random assortment.
  5. Tap Done.

Choose a pattern and size:

  1. In the bottom panel, tap Patterns.
  2. Select a pattern style.
  3. Use the slider to change emoji size.

Choose a color:

  1. In the bottom panel, tap Colors.
  2. Select a wallpaper color.
  3. Tap Done to confirm.

Preview and set it:

  1. Tap Next to preview.
  2. When you're happy, tap Apply.

Prompt ideas for AI wallpapers

Underlined words are where the variety comes from. A few approaches:

  • Start with Inspire me to see what a theme can do, then adjust one word at a time.
  • Change only the subject first, then the style, so you can tell which change made the difference.
  • Save favorites so you can rotate them later without generating again.

Design tips for emoji wallpapers

  • Fewer emoji, bigger size reads better behind app icons.
  • Pick a color that matches your theme. A calm background color keeps the whole screen calm.
  • Randomize for a quick refresh when you get bored.

Troubleshooting

  • No AI wallpaper option: check you have a Pixel 8 or later, and that you're not using an account type, like Family Link, where it may be unavailable.
  • Emoji Workshop missing: it requires a Pixel 4a or later.
  • Can't add more emoji: the limit is 14.
  • Menu names look different: wording can vary slightly by Android version; look under Wallpaper & style.

Going further with ScreenLux

If you'd like moving artwork instead of a still image, 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.

Source: Pixel Phone Help, "Create & customize the wallpaper on your Pixel phone": https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/16517561

Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux

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