Android 14’s AI-generated wallpapers might be its coolest new feature

Google’s AI-generated text-to-image diffusion model makes a small but fun appearance in Android 14’s wallpaper menu on the new Pixels, letting you generate backdrops by selecting different parameters.

Google’s launching the new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro today, and alongside the new smartphones comes the public release of Android 14, which has lots of new features — including a rad new AI wallpaper generator. Originally revealed at Google’s I/O developer event in May, which showcases the latest Android OS and features, the new AI wallpapers feature lets you easily generate a new background on your Pixel device using Google’s text-to-image diffusion model.

You start by selecting a category, like classic art, and then manipulate the text fields to render different results. In one Google example, you could select the Dreamscape category, then describe a structure, a material, and a color, and end up with something like “A house made of plants in indigo,” which yields several images of greenery-covered structures with a front door and a slightly purple tinge.

Google says the generative AI wallpapers are “coming first” to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, so unfortunately, most of us won’t be able to use them at launch. But the language suggests availability will expand down the road.

Generative AI wallpapers are just one of the many highly customizable new features of Android 14, alongside lock screen customizations that let you select different fonts and colors, situational widgets like a prominent weather widget when a storm is coming, and even a monochromatic theme.

Android has generally been ahead of iOS in terms of visual customization options, but it wasn’t always easy to make the system look just how you wanted. Now, with Android 14, Google seems to borrow a bit from Apple’s playbook and is making personalization more approachable.

Android 14 is rolling out now on supported Pixel devices and is coming to select devices from companies like Samsung Galaxy, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi later this year.