Google made a big change to Android’s early-access program, replacing the developer preview builds with a new, cutting-edge Canary channel. The first Android Canary build is already live and seems to pack plenty of subtle but important changes, including tweaking the screen saver feature to better work with wireless charging.
Android expert Mishaal Rahman, writing for Android Authority, has discovered that the first Android Canary build adds a While upright and charging option in Settings > Display & touch > Screen saver. There’s also a Restrict to wireless charging toggle, ensuring the screen saver only triggers when the phone is being charged wirelessly.
The upright option ensures the screen saver will appear when the phone is placed in a standing position on a wireless charger.
Both options are clearly designed keeping wireless charging in mind. After all, you wouldn’t want your phone to show a screen saver while it is lying flat on a desk and charging over USB-C, when the display isn’t even visible. In the current stable Android 16 build, there’s only one trigger for the screen saver: when the device is charging. The new granular controls in the Canary build add some much-needed flexibility.
Adjust screen saver based on room lighting
Google has also added a low light mode option for screen savers in Android 16’s first Canary build. When in a room with low ambient light, you can set your phone to either turn the display off or show a low light clock. In the current Android 16 build, you need to set the Clock screen saver to display the time when the phone is charging. The problem is that you must manually change the clock screen saver when there’s plenty of light. The upcoming Low Light mode in Android 16 will solve this by automatically adjusting the screen saver based on lighting conditions.
Apple already offers extensive screen saver customization options on iPhones with its StandBy mode feature. While not the same, Google also seems finally ready to fully embrace proper screen saver customization in Android. Since most of these changes relate to how you use the screen saver with a wireless charger, they should tie in nicely with the Pixel 10’s rumored PixelSnap charging accessories.
