Android users who are bored of their usual wallpapers are in luck: an update to Google Photos now allows users to set their wallpaper as a random, rotating cast of saved photos.
Version 5.22 of Google Photos automatically includes the update, so if you go to your phone’s wallpaper selector and look at the live wallpapers, you should see the option for one called “Memories.” Once selected, your phone will start pulling photos from the Memories section of Google Photos to cycle between as a background. You’ll then be able to preview what you’ll see as a wallpaper before confirming.
The main catch here is that Google defines what counts as a memory based on its machine learning algorithms, so you won’t be able to really decide what shows up. Photos could range from gorgeous vistas to a photo of your sad home office lunch. Who knows!
Of course, you might as well try this out now if you’re ever going to, considering Google is eliminating unlimited, free photo storage on June 1st, 2021. Google Photos will start charging for storage over 15GB, which is beyond a bummer. If you think you might end up switching services, now’s the time to try out a live wallpaper.
