Google’s Magic Portrait finds a new way to inject life into your lock screen

Google offers plenty of great options when it comes to customizing the look and feel of your Android phone. Not only does it provide a variety of different wallpapers, which it regularly updates, but it also provides ways to create new looks as well.

Of course, there’s always room to grow, and Google knows that as well, with the brand showcasing a new way to add some flare to your device’s home screen with Android 16 QPR1‘s Magic Portrait feature, as spotted by the folks at Android Authority.

A new look and feel with Android 16 QPR1

It’s a fairly simple addition, taking the subject of your wallpaper and making it pop out of a frame over a solid-color background. The frame can be one of five Material You shapes, and you can swipe left or right to find the one that fits your image best. The background outside the frame uses Google’s dynamic theming engine to find complimentary colors, and you also get five of these to choose from.

The new feature can be accessed by tapping the Effects button when setting a lock screen wallpaper. Note that it only works with your own images — the preloaded Pixel wallpapers don’t show the Effects button when you’re setting them as your lock screen background.

While it isn’t a dramatic change, it does provide some contrast, highlighting the subject of the image in a playful way. If you’re not into flashy wallpapers, this could be just what your device needs. In addition, there’s also an option to add weather animations.

You can go the dynamic route, which will add weather effects that are current to your local setting, or just set one for default, like a snowy day, if that’s the kind of thing you want to see. With that said, this is just one of many changes that are coming.

Android 16 will be released in June, bringing many new features — but to be clear, this isn’t one of them. Instead, Magic Wallpapers will go live on the stable channel with the first Pixel Feature Drop after Android 16’s release — otherwise known as Android 16 Quarterly Platform Release 1. This version was just released as a beta right as the Google I/O 2025 keynote concluded.

Other elements of Google’s Material 3 Expressive redesign are also live in the new Android 16 QPR1 beta, like a completely redesigned Quick Settings menu with resizable toggles. Additionally, a revamped recent apps menu with a more obvious way of accessing split-screen mode is present, alongside new status bar icons and a more colorful Settings menu.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Google is expected to continue adding Expressive elements, particularly animations, as the Android 16 QPR1 beta program marches toward its eventual release as the next Pixel Feature Drop. When it’s all said and done, we expect Material 3 Expressive to be the biggest redesign Android has seen in many years.