They were a trend years ago and a way for phone manufacturers to stand out, but today live wallpapers have lost much of their popularity. Because consume more energy, because they add load to the processor or because the movement of the background distracts attention from the icons: there are many reasons for having lost popularity. Although I have to admit that for me these are still my favorite wallpapers.
I remember the first time I saw live wallpaper on an Android smartphone. Google’s Nexus One displayed in a phone store, with the screen in operation and this mesh background with rows of lights that illuminated; highlighting the area of the desk where it was pressed. As a result of this I ended up bringing this same wallpaper to my ROMs, I also accumulated a small collection of apps. In fact, the first app I bought from the Android Market was a wallpaper.
Live wallpapers add dynamism to desktops
I know it’s a matter of taste and a good static wallpaper looks just as good, although I admit that I like to see the desktop with a certain dynamism. And at this point, I’m very manic: I only have an office, I keep a row of icons and folders outside the dock, I always choose the app drawer and place a clock widget with the current time. Plus, my choice of wallpaper is animated.
For this article, I looked at my Google Play purchase history and found that the first Android app I spent my money on was HD Wallpaper, in July 2009. It didn’t yet include a animated backgrounds, although another app offered them. .of personalization that has had the greatest impact on my phones, both personal and analytical: Game of Life Live Wallpaper. This one dates from 2016, much more modern.
The Game of Life wallpaper always reminded me of the first live wallpaper I saw, the Nexus One one. battle of life and death between cells
Although Game of Life occupies one of the top ten positions in my personal podium of wallpapers, there is one that I usually slip into every recent mobile phone: Google Pixel backgrounds . I love the ones from “Universe in motion”, I have them on all Google phones. For example, I really like the one with the aerial view of the beach, as well as the one with the road going through a forest. They are lively, eye-catching, not too distracting and add character to the office. I don’t understand why Google stopped including more wallpapers like this on its Pixels.
Well balanced, live wallpapers do not consume much more battery
It is obvious that an animated wallpaper will consume more mAh than a static wallpaper, although this should not be a reason to throw it away either: in the end, The expense is so small that it is not even noticeable.. In fact, your mobile phone will consume more by consulting WhatsApp than by having an animated wallpaper on your desktop. If it offers greater distinction, why not use it?
I still use live wallpapers on my Androids, and probably will continue to do so for a long time: aside from the ones that come standard on the Google Pixel, I have the APKs for these wallpapers ready to install them on any other Android. And it seems to me that they illustrate the essence of personalization: give character and beauty without distracting. For me, the three keys to a good wallpaper.
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