One of the Android 16 features you may have overlooked is Magic Portrait. This nifty feature adds clever animations to your lock screen by taking the subject of your wallpaper and framing it on a solid-color background. When you unlock your phone, the subject pops out and fills your wallpaper.
Unfortunately, this feature is exclusive to Pixel phones running Android 16 or later. It’s a frustrating omission from the full update, but thankfully, there’s a nifty workaround. MagicFX Wallpaper is a third-party app that brings Magic Portrait wallpapers to most Android phones running Android 9 or later. It’s from the same developer behind Media Bar, which changed how I control music on my Pixel for the better.
MagicFX Wallpaper is the best kind of app
A fantastic alternative to a stock Android feature
MagicFX Wallpaper performs the same trick as Magic Portrait. It isolates a subject from a wallpaper and frames it on a solid-color background. It doesn’t execute the switch as smoothly as Magic Portrait, but for an early-access app, I’ll give it a pass for the rough edges.
I tested MagicFX Wallpaper and Magic Portrait with identical wallpapers. After using both, I can say that the apps are roughly equal in terms of quality, with one notable catch. Just like the rest of the apps from this developer, this app locks its best features behind a paywall. If you have a Pixel phone, I recommend sticking with Magic Portrait, but for any other device, it’s worth the money. MagicFX Wallpaper includes many features that make it a worthy purchase for non-Pixel owners.
The Play Store page states that MagicFX Wallpaper works on any Android phone or tablet. This claim is misleading. While Samsung, Motorola, and OnePlus are among compatible devices, my NUU B40 device does not support the app.
MagicFX Wallpaper has far more features than Magic Portrait
However, a paywall and clunky execution don’t replace Google’s version
Below you can see me unlocking my phone with MagicFX Wallpaper (left) and Magic Portrait (right). As you can see, Magic Portrait is much smoother, but that’s not the whole story.
MagicFX Wallpaper has 14 shapes, unlimited color options, and controls for fine-tuning the subject. Magic Portrait has five shapes, five color options (drawn from your wallpaper’s palette), and a slider for adjusting the tone of the background. You can also add weather effects, which is a fun way to add some character to your wallpaper.
Of the two, Google’s implementation is far smoother and smarter. The weather effects interact realistically with the subject (although the rain effect only works realistically on shapes with flat surfaces), and the pop-out effect is perfectly smooth. The biggest downside of Magic Portrait is that you can’t adjust or resize the photo.
Pixel users can try Magic Portrait by selecting a custom wallpaper from the photo gallery and tapping the Effects button at the bottom of the screen.
However, MagicFX’s vastly expanded range of shapes and colors makes it the best choice for anyone who likes having total control over Android customization. Its use of Material 3 Expressive makes it feel like a Google app, and while the subject cutouts could be a little fuzzy at times, the overall app wasn’t significantly worse than Google’s version.
The perfect way to add Magic Portrait to a non-Pixel phone
Samsung Galaxy owners have to give this app a try
It’s tough for me to pick between the two apps, especially as I haven’t paid the $9.99 for full access. This is far too much when I have an excellent alternative, so for now I’ll stick to bouncing between the two depending on my wallpaper of choice.
However, I love that this app brings one of the niftiest customization tricks of Android 16 to a vastly wider range of devices. If you don’t own a Pixel, it’s worth checking out, and if, like me, you do, I highly recommend giving it a go, especially if you pair it with other customization options.
How to make the most of MagicFX Wallpaper
You’ll quickly notice that MagicFX Wallpaper doesn’t play well with certain types of wallpapers. For the best effect, your wallpaper needs to have a well-defined subject on a simple background. If a Magic Wand tool in photo-editing apps could easily select the subject, the photo will work for MagicFX Wallpaper
If you’re struggling to find good options, try this community-curated photo gallery. All these photos are selected to work well with the Magic Portrait feature, and most work just as well with MagicFX Wallpaper.
Finally, why not dive into the rest of Android 16’s customization features? If you don’t know where to start, try focusing on the four key areas of customization.
