Home
News
You are here

Android users, this is one image you must not use as a wallpaper

By Anam Hamid

Published: May 31, 2020, 5:03 PM

5comments

Samsung Android

Android users, this is one image you must not use as a wallpaper

A wallpaper is causing certain Android phones to soft brick.

A soft-bricked smartphone cannot boot successfully and it keeps crashing constantly.

The wallpaper in question has mainly proven lethal for Samsung smartphones, but other Android handsets aren't immune to its effects either. Thus, it is recommended that you avoid the temptation to download it.

The wallpaper's color profile is to be blamed supposedly

While it's hard to say with certainty what exactly is causing this behavior, some theories are being floated around. Apparently, the image has a larger color space than your normal everyday pictures and this leads to an array out of bounds exception. So, if you set the image as your wallpaper, it will cause the System UI to crash.

Some believe that you can re-encode the image to overwrite its color profile to make it harmless.

Apparently, phones running Android 11 will not be affected as it converts unsupported color space to sRGB automatically and supports a wider color gamut.

Users who kept this image as their wallpaper have reported that it caused their phones to go into a boot loop or start the bootloader again. Some were lucky enough to have their phone boot into safe mode as this bought them time to reset the wallpaper. Others had to factory reset their handsets to get them working again. This is not an ideal solution, as it wipes out everything.

The moral of the story is that you are not to use this image as a wallpaper or there will be consequences. Many Android users out there let curiosity get the better of them and ended up losing content on their phones.

View Full Bio

Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

Loading Comments...

Android users, this is one image you must not use as a wallpaper

The wallpaper's color profile is to be blamed supposedly

Recommended Stories

Popular stories

Latest News