Staring at the same wallpaper on a phone or tablet gets very boring, but who wants to spend hours scrolling through Google Images or old photos to find the perfect background? With the plethora of free wallpaper apps available to Android users on the Google Play Store, there’s no need to waste time endlessly searching anymore.
These customizable apps include more wallpaper options than one person could ever need in their lifetime. Some offer live wallpapers, while others give users the option to automatically switch backgrounds without doing anything. These apps also feature a wide range of choices for every type of Android phone, as well as wallpapers designed to suit any style — from minimalistic to natural to animated.
12 Tapet
Pros: Tapet offers minimalistic, patterned backgrounds automatically updated to a downloader’s phone on a cyclical basis. Users can choose color schemes and patterns to suit the wallpapers to their liking. Tapet’s interface is as streamlined as the abstract images it provides.
Cons: Most of the wallpapers available in the app are premium, meaning the free options are limited.
11 AmoledBackgrounds
Pros: This app collects a stunning collection of AMOLED images, which incorporate more intense color and black space, from Reddit. It also includes the option for users to have their wallpaper changed every day.
Cons: Users need a device with an AMOLED display screen; otherwise, they won’t benefit from the added clarity and color saturation found in the wallpapers available in AmoledBackgrounds. The interface for the app may be confusing for those who don’t know how to use Reddit, and some have reported issues with crashing.
10 Kappboom
Pros: Kappboom is one of the most intuitive wallpaper apps in the Android Marketplace. Not only is it easy to use, but it’s efficient on memory, something that’s always a premium on aging phones. Additionally, Kappboom allows users to send wallpapers to their Android Wear devices.
Cons: Like most free-to-use applications, Kappboom makes use of ads, some of which come across as a bit intrusive. The preview function is also a bit lacking, and most users will probably find themselves downloading every wallpaper to get a good idea of what it looks like.
9 Wallcandy
Pros: Wallcandy has an enormous library of free, high-quality wallpapers. It features both photography and digital artworks across a wide variety of categories, from nature and cityscapes to anime and fantasy. It even offers backgrounds with inspirational quotes overlaid. Wallcandy works for both iOS and Android, and in addition to offering wallpapers, the app also has widgets users can choose from. While there is a Premium section for those who wish to upgrade and stop being hammered with ads, the free catalog offers seemingly endless options to fit anyone’s needs, including 4K wallpapers.
Cons: Ads are frequent and disrupting to browsing.
8 Zedge
Pros: One of the oldest wallpaper apps out there for Android users, Zedge contains a wealth of 4K, HD, and live wallpapers that are easy to find, download, and set on different devices. Its extensive catalog suits any style, color scheme, or personal preference.
Cons: While it was on top for quite some time, more and more users are complaining about the excess amount of ads they encounter while using Zedge. Its selection is also being challenged by newer apps with more diverse offerings.
7 Muzei Live Wallpaper
Pro: Muzei Live Wallpaper offers a next-level live wallpaper experience, as it gives its users knowledge about the most famous paintings of all time. Depending upon the settings established, users can cycle through a new wallpaper anywhere from every 15 minutes to every 3 days. These wallpapers do an excellent job of fading into the background so they don’t offer too much of a distraction from apps or widgets.
Cons: Aspects of the interface can be confusing, and some of the specialized features are difficult to understand for some users.
6 Walpy
Pros: The idea behind Walpy is simple: Take the best photos from Unsplash.com, turn them into a wallpaper app, and add a ton of editing tools to make them look exactly how you want. Even better, the app is free to download and has a clean UI that’s super easy to navigate.
Cons: Looking through user reviews, a few people have complained that Walpy’s ‘Auto change wallpapers’ function often doesn’t work as intended. Something to keep in mind before downloading!
5 Resplash
Pros: Resplash is another catalog powered by Unsplash’s expansive library of free images. It’s heavy on photography, making this a good option for people who are looking for eye-catching photos to use as their backgrounds. There are other types of images as well, too, though, including patterns. The search function works well and makes it much easier to narrow down one’s search
4 Abstruct
Pros: Abstruct is the one-of-a-kind wallpaper app designed by artist Hampus Olsson, who is responsible for making backgrounds for OnePlus Devices. Olsson’s breathtaking selection of nonrepresentational wallpapers will look amazing on any device. Abstruct’s interface is also a work of art in its own right.
Cons: Out of the 300 HD backgrounds currently available, only a certain portion is free. The rest are behind a $2 paywall.
3 Walli
Pros: Walli stands out from the rest of the free Android background apps on the market because of its collection of curated wallpapers made by a hand-picked group of creators. Instead of the stock images found on other apps, Walli’s dazzling options represent the best and newest in the world of digital art. The result is a professional, high-quality app.
Cons: The free version comes with ads and limited options that may convince some users to pay for the premium app.
2 Amoledpix
Pros: Amoledpix has tons of stunning wallpapers, with an especially large offering of fandom artwork for countless popular franchises. It’s a great destination for fans of superheroes, anime, movies and TV, and video games, with high-quality fan art in all sorts of styles. There are also categories for animals, space, architecture, and abstract art. The interface is easy to use, and you won’t be hounded by ads.
1 Backdrops
Pros: Backdrops first hit the Google Play Store in 2015, and in the years since then, it’s established itself as one of the best Android wallpaper apps on the market. It has one of the most intuitive app interfaces, hundreds of exclusive wallpapers not found anywhere else, and other wallpapers uploaded by the community. Users can quickly ‘heart’ wallpapers to mark their favorites and apply them directly from the app. Backdrops looks good, performs great, and has an enormous variety of styles to choose from.
Cons: Similar to other wallpaper apps, the free version of Backdrops includes ads and blocks access to the ‘Pro Pack.’
