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Google is about to make it a lot easier to customize your Pixel phone

A person holding the Google Pixel 8.
Google Pixel 8 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

When you first set up a phone, it’s essentially the same as every other phone. Customizing it to suit you is part of the fun. Google looks to be making this process a lot easier with a redesigned “Wallpaper & style” page for Pixel phones and tablets.

The news comes courtesy of Android Authority, which first discovered the updated wallpaper app in the Android 15 QPR1 beta (with a full release expected in December).

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The current Wallpaper & style page has existed since Android 12 with minor changes here and there. The new version seems to follow this pattern; its functionality remains the same but makes it easier for people to reorganize and find all the options available to them.

Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman recorded a video showing the changes in the new update. The most prominent change is that there are no longer tabs to swap between the home screen and lock screen; instead, you just swipe from one to the other.

Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 current vs new Pixel wallpaper app design

It also looks easier to select the exact function of the left and right shortcut keys on the home screen, as well as change the theme and enable/disable notifications.

Rahman pointed out that the UI, as convenient as it is, is still unfinished. By the time Android 15 is released to the public, Google may have made some significant changes, but this still gives us a relatively good idea of what the new interface will look like.

While there is no official release schedule for this update, it isn’t likely that Google will release it in the initial stable release of Android 15. We’ll probably see the base version of Android 15, with these cosmetic changes rolling out over time after that.

Patrick Hearn
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…
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