Pixel 6 series ‘Bloom’ backgrounds are live wallpapers w/ blur and parallax [Gallery]

Each year, Pixel phones gain a set of live wallpapers that try to stay in-theme with what the device is trying to accomplish. The only new live wallpapers for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a set of “Bloom” floral backgrounds that should look familiar.

About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.

Last month, a set of six static wallpapers for the Pixel 6 series was leaked, with a unique floral arrangement prepared for each of the six colorways available across the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. You’ve probably also seen bits of these wallpapers in some Pixel 6 ads. At the time, these were simple images embedded into the Pixel Wallpapers app on a leaked Pixel 6 device.

Our APK Insight team was able to obtain the version of the Pixel Live Wallpapers app that will be available for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Once installed on one of our devices, two sets of live wallpapers appeared in the Pixel’s wallpaper picker in a new “Bloom” category.

Interestingly, they appear in a sub-heading on the page that says “Download live versions.” This suggests that the Pixel 6’s Bloom collection of backgrounds may exist as both still images and live wallpapers.

If you opt for the live wallpaper version of the Pixel 6’s Bloom collection, there are two key differences. Firstly, the wallpapers are actually motion sensitive, with your viewing angle of the flowers adjusting based on how you hold the phone, in something of a parallax effect.

Second, in the settings, you can use a slider to adjust how much blurring is shown on the rearmost flowers. Essentially, this slider is like adjusting the photo’s depth of field, offering a more pronounced bokeh effect.

Like the still versions before them, the live wallpapers are available in two sets of three images, taken by photographer Andrew Zuckerman, which automatically flip between light and dark mode. One set with primary colors emphasizing black, red, and green seems perfectly suited to the smaller Pixel 6, while the second set favors the black, silver, and gold colorways of the Pixel 6 Pro.

Thanks to JEB Decompiler, from which some APK Insight teardowns benefit.

Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.