Android Auto

Android Auto now matches your phone’s wallpaper with latest update [Gallery]

Ben Schoon | Dec 28 2023 - 5:59 am PT

A new update is rolling out to Android Auto users with support for copying your phone’s wallpaper to the car’s display.

Google has launched the latest Android Auto feature in a new toggle which uses your phone’s wallpaper on the car display. The feature is enabled by default, but can be turned off in Android Auto settings.

9to5Google first spotted this feature in development in late October 2023.

The new option to “use phone’s wallpaper in Android Auto” appears to be rolling out independently of app version. We’re seeing it live on the latest Android Auto 11.0 beta, but the needed code was in place as far back at version 10.7. Users on Reddit also report seeing the option, though it’s unclear what version is being used in that case.

Android Auto’s new ability to sync your phone’s wallpaper is rather simple, and works just as described. Whatever wallpaper is on your phone will instantly show up on your car’s display behind Android Auto’s app drawer. It won’t show up behind the dashboard view or anywhere else, though, so it’s usefulness is a bit limited.

There are also some limitations on the wallpapers that can be used.

Only static images can be used with this functionality. Live wallpapers won’t copy over, nor will any specialized wallpapers. The AI wallpapers on Google Pixel 8, for example, don’t show up on Android Auto. The exact reasoning here is unclear, but when a wallpaper can’t be synced, Android Auto will just show whatever the last compatible wallpaper was.

Notably, this is an option that Apple’s CarPlay does not currently offer. But CarPlay does still offer a collection of its own wallpapers, while Android Auto has removed its library of wallpapers (added in 2021) and replaced it with this new syncing option.