Android 14 is finally getting this much-loved Apple feature

If you love your emojis, and I mean really love them, then you can now see them whenever you turn your phone on. A host of new Android wallpaper options were just announced at Google I/O, iOS users will find them very familiar, but now Pixel users can get in on the fun too.

On the I/O stage, it was demonstrated by (on a Pixel of course) selecting a range of emojis to create a background pattern from. The demo then went on to adjust their scale and colour grading. You can even tap them and they’ll react. Fun right?

If you really want your phone’s wallpaper to stand out, however, you can set one of your own photos and then put an exciting 3D effect on it. AI calculates the depth and a parallax effect creates grounds the foreground while moving the background, It reminds me of the Nintendo 3DS. Of course, with the current AI craze, there is a feature to generate AI-created wallpapers too, using a range of prompts and styles on offer. 

While these features aren’t exactly system sellers, it’s nice to see both Android and iOS users being able to express themselves. We don’t however know just yet when these features will make their way to Android, but Pixel phones will receive them next month. Hopefully, it won't take long for them to come to other Android 14 devices. Google is determined to make Pixel the best version of Android and features like this add up to create a definitive Android experience.