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Google's cool wallpaper theming will debut on Pixel handsets but could end up on other Android phones

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By Alan Friedman

Published: Sep 23, 2021, 5:12 PM

Google's cool wallpaper theming will debut on Pixel handsets but could end up on other Android phones

One of the coolest new features available with Pixel phones running on Android 12 is Google's wallpaper theming system. This automatically adjusts the color scheme of the phone's UI to match the predominant color scheme of the phone's wallpaper. For example, when we first told you about this feature earlier this year we included examples of orange wallpaper and purple wallpaper that turned the UI those colors respectively.

According to XDA, the wallpaper theming system, with the code name "monet," is for Pixel handsets only-at least right now. The buzz around the water cooler is that monet will be available for other Android phones with the release of Android 12.1.

Google says that a color extraction algorithm determines the less dominant and more dominant colors found on the wallpaper selected by the user. A palette generation algorithm creates a palette of five colors made up of 2 neutral colors, 3 accent colors, and 12 shades of Material color. This is used to figure out the colors that come closest to matching the user’s wallpaper.

Wallpaper Theming appears on an internal AOSP build of Android 12.1

Most of the wallpaper theming system has already been open sourced except for the palette generation algorithm which is an important part of the system. The good news is that the source code for the palette generation algorithm will soon be released. Two sources told XDA that Google recently committed a code change that is called "add monet to AOSP." Screenshots taken by a device running an internal AOSP build of Android 12.1 reveals that monet could be available on non-Pixel phones with Android 12.1 installed.

The update also adds minor improvements to foldable handsets, but for the average Android user who would love to have the Pixel wallpaper theming system on their device, the latter is the most important feature of Android 12.1. It isn't clear yet when the update will be released. Android 12 is rumored to launch for Pixel devices only on October 4th.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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