Backdrops on Android gets a new Material Design update, brings revamped ‘Collections’

Andrew Romero | Jan 17 2023 - 9:40 am PT

Backdrops is the go-to app for many looking to change up their Android wallpaper beyond stock images. The Backdrops app has recently taken on a new look in its latest Android update, complete with a new design style and a new collections page that makes finding wallpapers a little easier.

As wallpaper apps go, Backdrops has been around for a very long time. The app has become a hub for some of the coolest and most interesting wallpapers available, whether it’s digitally drawn or real photos taken by creators.

Now, the Backdrops app is coming out of a new update to version 5.02, which brings some much-needed improvements, features, and a new paid content structure that actually makes it easier to find images for free.

One of the most immediate changes seems to be the switch over to a Material You design, wherein each wallpaper’s detail page matches the image’s tones. That change gives the overall look of the updated Backdrops app quite an overhaul for Android. Beyond that, Backdrops has a new explore page, with a cleaner setup than previously.

In addition, the app has a newly designed Collections page with sets of images split into three different tiers. Users will be able to find images in the Pro, Free, or Premium Collection sets. The Free Collections section is, of course, free to peruse through and download images from. The Pro set of collections, however, requires a paid membership. Even if you did have a Pro account, the Premium Collection is a pay-per-pack type of deal, with each individual collection costing money. These collections generally consist of about 20-30 images.

With that new pricing model, the team behind Backdrops has been able to drop native ads, making the free experience much better in the update to v5.02. On top of that, another smaller perk to the Backdrops update is a new themed icon for Android.

The new Backdrops update is available now in the Google Play Store. The team behind the app noted that a beta version had to be skipped, so this new version may have small bugs along the way.