wallpaper

AppWizard
May 31, 2025
The Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 update introduces new features, including Material 3 Expressive and a "Themes" tab in the Wallpaper and Style app, indicating potential customization through unreleased "Pixel Customization Packs." While the full capabilities of Pixel themes are unclear, they may include new wallpapers, fonts, and app icon designs, addressing the current limitations of app icon customization on Pixel phones. Future updates promise customizable app icon shapes, but lack of support for third-party icon packs remains a significant drawback compared to competitors like OnePlus and Samsung. The introduction of Pixel themes raises hopes for enhanced personalization, particularly regarding icon pack support, which has been a long-standing request from Pixel users.
AppWizard
May 22, 2025
Google I/O 2025 has concluded, and the Android 16 QPR1 Beta has been launched, introducing the Material 3 Expressive design language. This update is the first Quarterly Platform Release following the stable Android 16 Beta program and is primarily aimed at developers and testers. It enhances user experience with a fresh visual design, which will also extend to Wear OS 6. Key features of the update include a redesigned user interface with increased space for widgets and apps, new system icons in the status bar, a colorful quick settings panel, expanded customization options, and enhanced controls for home and lock screens. The beta is available for various Pixel devices, including Pixel 6, 7, 8, and 9 series, as well as Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.
AppWizard
May 21, 2025
The Android 16 QPR1 Beta was available for download immediately after the Google I/O 2025 Keynote. The beta features a visually appealing font change and a revamped Wallpaper & Style settings interface. Users encountered bugs, including missing Home Screen layout options and issues with selecting wallpapers from Google Photos. Desktop Mode is not yet available, as connecting to an external monitor only allows screen mirroring. The app switcher now displays app labels with a context menu for split-screen mode and other functionalities. Gemini introduced new sharing options, and Quick Tiles in the Notification Shade can now be resized. The overall design emphasizes personalization, aligning with the Material 3 Expressive theme.
AppWizard
May 20, 2025
In the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 release, Google redesigned the recents screen to improve user experience by making the app context menu more accessible. The new interface includes a pill-shaped button displaying the app's name and a downward arrow for additional options. The redesign addresses discoverability issues by allowing users to easily identify apps corresponding to task previews. The context menu offers seven primary actions: “App info,” “Split screen,” “Pin,” “Pause app,” “Screenshot,” “Select,” and “Close,” with the “Save app pair” option appearing only for split-screen tasks. Aesthetic enhancements include pill-shaped containers for the “Screenshot” and “Select” buttons and a blurred background of the user's wallpaper, aligning with Google’s Material 3 Expressive theme.
AppWizard
May 17, 2025
Doodle is a Java-based open-source wallpaper application developed by Patrick Zedler, featuring the original Doodle wallpaper collection from the Pixel 4 and unreleased Material You static wallpapers from the Pixel 6. The app allows users to explore wallpapers organized into three categories, select variants, add accent colors, set daily random wallpapers, and toggle night mode. Doodle includes three live wallpapers with interactive features like "Swipe" and "Tilt" effects. Users can customize live wallpaper animations and app color themes through various settings. During testing on a Samsung smartphone with Android 14, some features like the "Swipe" effect and Accent Colors were non-functional due to compatibility issues with the default launcher. The app's live wallpaper occasionally malfunctioned during the lock/unlock process, and transitioning between light and dark modes required relaunching the app. The source code is available on GitHub under GPLv3 licensing, and the app can be downloaded from F-Droid and the Play Store.
Winsage
May 16, 2025
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27858 has been released to the Canary Channel. A new system tray icon for the emoji and more panel has been introduced, allowing users to access emojis, GIFs, and Kaomojis, with customization options available. Several fixes have been implemented, including resolving black screen issues during upgrades, enhancing accessibility in File Explorer, updating desktop icon logic, fixing voice typing initiation issues, resolving explorer.exe crashes related to snap layouts, addressing taskbar icon resizing problems in tablet mode, fixing night light functionality, and resolving MIDI device recognition issues. Known issues include potential problems with Windows Hello PIN and biometrics on new Copilot+ PCs and unresponsive pen input on certain devices. Insiders are reminded that builds in the Canary Channel are early development versions and may change. A clean installation is required to exit the Canary Channel, and a desktop watermark will be present in pre-release builds.
Winsage
May 10, 2025
Windows 11, version 24H2 has officially rolled out, but some devices may face installation issues due to unresolved problems. This week features discounts on various apps, with users encouraged to check the Store for offers. BleachBit 5.0 has been updated, enhancing its functionality as a temporary file cleaner and secure file deleter, while discontinuing support for Windows 7 and earlier versions and addressing several DLL vulnerabilities. Sucrose is a new open-source wallpaper tool for Windows that allows users to download animated wallpapers or create their own, including transforming websites into dynamic wallpapers. Winhance 5 is a free utility for customizing Windows, allowing changes to system settings and removal of system apps, with a more intuitive graphical user interface compared to its predecessor.
AppWizard
May 6, 2025
Google will introduce a new version of its Android design language called "Material Design 3 Expressive" at the upcoming Google I/O developer conference. This update will focus on creating emotionally resonant user interfaces and is expected to feature a bold use of shape and color. The design system has evolved from the previous "Material You" (or Material 3) introduced in 2021, which allowed for personalized interfaces based on wallpaper colors. The new design aims to enhance usability, particularly for older adults, while still requiring developers to follow established design standards. The session titled “Build next-level UX with Material 3 Expressive” will provide insights into new emotional design patterns and offer developers access to files and alpha code for experimentation before the public release.
Winsage
May 3, 2025
Some users of Windows 7 experienced a 30-second boot delay when using solid color desktop backgrounds shortly after its launch in October 2009. This issue arose because Windows waited for system components, including desktop icons and the background, to report readiness. If any element was absent, the operating system paused for up to 30 seconds. The problem was also linked to group policies that hid desktop icons. Microsoft addressed the glitch by November 2009. As of recent data, Windows 7's market share has decreased to 2.5 percent, and Microsoft has ceased support for the operating system.
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