Android 14 lets you create neon pink poop emoji wallpapers

Google I/O 2023 was rammed with announcements. Sure, the Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, and Pixel Tablet will grab the majority of headlines — but don’t let their shiny bezels distract you from the real story. Emoji wallpapers.

• Read more: Best small phone — the top compact smartphones reviewed and rated

Following some Android news (which includes an update to Find My Device and WhatsApp landing on Wear OS), Google also unveiled some impressive new customisation features coming soon to Android 14 and Pixel devices. If you ask us, the most exciting of these is the new emoji wallpaper app, which lets you instantly generate a unique wallpaper around your favourite emojis. Like poop. Or a duck. Whatever you want, really.

Simply choose a few of your favourite emojis, pick your desired colour palette, adjust the pattern, and voila — your own personal emojified wallpaper is ready to rock.

If you fancy something a little different, there’s also a new AI wallpaper feature which lets you type prompts such as subjects and styles, before serving up fresh new creations to help ensure your handset stands out from the crowd. Think something along the lines of “Cyborg cat hoverboarding over a post-apocalyptic destruction derby in the style of Salvador Dalí” and you’ve got the gist.

For those after a more conservative approach to customisation, there’s also an upcoming cinematic wallpaper feature which uses AI wizardry to transform your favourite photos into a 3D motion affair, complete with swanky parallax effects that react accordingly when you tilt your phone.

Features like emoji wallpaper and cinematic wallpaper are landing even sooner than the launch of Android 14 later this year. In fact, these features will be arriving first on supported Pixel devices next month. Check out the official blog post for more info.

Elsewhere, Google’s Find My Device service gets a massive boost, bringing its functionality more in line with Tile and Apple. Android fans will soon be able to track headphones, earbuds, tablets, and more in the Find My Device app, courtesy of a vast tracking network powered by other Android devices, which will ping your lost device to pinpoint its location.

Google was very keen to stress that privacy remains a core part of this process, with the location of your lost devices privy only to your eyes, with even the tech giant remaining unaware of their whereabouts.  Unknown tracker alerts are also available to offer extra peace of mind, to help thwart any purposefully-placed nefarious stowaways.

Lastly on the semi-Android front, was a brief mention of WhatsApp landing on Wear OS, letting users reply to messages directly from their wrists.

• Read more: The best AirPods alternatives reviewed and rated