Android devices have many different home screens. The problem is, when you choose an image as the background wallpaper, it spans across all screens or just repeats. While that may be fine, you may want to see something different. Here we show you how to add a different wallpaper to each Android home screen using several different methods.
1. Using Multipicture Live Wallpaper
Multipicture Live Wallpaper splits up all of your home screens so that the wallpaper and/or background can be chosen for each screen independently from the other screens. Despite the name, you cannot have different live wallpapers on each screen – just static images. If you prefer live wallpapers, consider these live weather wallpapers.
Adding an Image to an Android Home Screen
Multipicture Live Wallpaper acts as a live wallpaper, so you will need to set it as your wallpaper just as you would any other live wallpaper on Android. Once you’ve installed the app, follow these steps:
- Open Settings (on your device, not the app) and select “Wallpaper & theme.” You can also long-press on an empty area of your screen and select “Wallpaper & theme” when it appears at the bottom.
- Scroll down until you see “Live wallpapers.”
- Select “MultiPicture Live Wallpaper.” This will take you to MultiPicture Live Wallpaper to set everything up.
- Allow MultiPicture Live Wallpaper to access your files and media.
- By default, the app will start showing images from your Gallery. Tap an image, then tap “Settings,” which will appear at the bottom. Don’t tap “Apply.”
Note: Since the app is a live wallpaper app, it wants you to select a folder as the source for the images. This will just change your Android home screen wallpaper to a slideshow. To show a different wallpaper on each Android home screen, you have to assign each page individually.
- In the app, go to “Screen Settings -> Add individual settings.”
- Leave the setting at “1” to adjust your first home screen and tap “OK.”
- Tap “Screen 1 settings.”
- Tap “Picture source.” You can also adjust the background color (if an image doesn’t fit the screen fully), crop/resize an image, and more.
- Select “Single Picture” so that you’re not stuck with a slideshow.
- Select your desired image.
- Tap your back button/icon to return to the settings page.
- Repeat the process for each Android home screen. Remember to change the number to your home screen’s number. For instance, if you’re changing the second page, choose “2,” then select “Screen 2 Settings.”
- If you don’t want your lock screen to change or want to use a different image for it, tap “Use lock screen settings.” When you check this box, you’ll get a new setting called “Lock screen settings.” Tap this to select an image for your lock screen.
- Use your back button/icon to return to the MultiPicture Live Wallpaper home screen. If you exit the app by accident, go back into “Wallpapers & Themes” and open it from there.
- When you back out, you’ll see a black screen. Wait for your first screen image to load. Tap the screen, then “Apply.”
- Tap “Set” and select “Set on Lock screen” to use the app to control your wallpapers.
Things to Consider
Even if your Android home screen wallpapers aren’t switching in and out like a live wallpaper, this is still a live wallpaper app. This means it will use your resources just as heavily.
If you have an entry-level device, older device, or one that already uses battery quickly, this app will drain your device much more quickly. Even with higher-end devices, you will notice the battery draining more quickly.
Tip: customize your Android device even further by creating custom icons for your apps.
2. Using GO Multiple Wallpaper
GO Multiple Wallpaper has built-in images, but you can also choose from your own images to add different wallpapers to each Android screen. Upon installing it, you’ll be prompted to also install the GOLaunch Ex Launcher app, but this isn’t required. You may also see a warning that the app is made for older devices, but it also works on newer Android devices.
- Upon launching GO Multiple Wallpaper, you can select up to nine wallpapers. Of course, you’ll only need as many wallpapers as you have screens. If you only have four screens, you only need to pick four.
- Tap the “-” sign at the top of a wallpaper to remove the default image. You can pick from the other six built-in options or tap the “+” sign to browse your phone for more options.
- Tap an image to select it. Press on the center of the image so that it doesn’t try to open in your Gallery app. Align the image in the rectangle and tap “Crop.”
- Once you’ve edited an image, it’ll show up as an available wallpaper. Tap it to add it to your list.
- Hit “Apply” to apply your wallpapers.
- Select “GoMultipleWallpaper” as your Live Wallpaper provider. You screen will go black for a few seconds.
- Tap “Apply” to finish.
- You’ll now get a different wallpaper for each of your screens.
3. Using FiveWallpapers
While the previous two options are older apps, FiveWallpapers was last updated in 2022. There are known bugs that cause the app to crash, but the developer has stated that those are currently being worked on. The good news, however, is that it’s designed to let you assign different wallpapers to each Android screen quickly.
- When you open FiveWallpapers, you’ll likely just see a black screen with the FiveWallpapers logo. Tap it once to bring up “Settings” and “Apply” at the bottom. Tap “Settings” to set things up.
- Hit “Number of desktops” to select how many screens you have. This should be set automatically, but you have to set it manually on some devices.
- With that out of the way, tap each image at the top one by one to select the desired image you want for each screen. Tapping takes you to your phone’s gallery to select images.
Note: if you want a random selection, turn you phone to the side and back again. This refreshes a random set of images chosen from your phone’s images.
- Long-tap any image to crop and edit it. You can adjust the position, zoom in/out, contrast, color, and more.
- You can also change a variety of other settings.
- Transition effect – if your wallpapers are transitioning, you can choose an effect. You can also opt not to transition your wallpapers.
- Compatibility mode – this is only for launchers that don’t support scrolling wallpapers.
- Auto change – your wallpapers will automatically change at a set interval. Set this to “Never” if you don’t want them to change/transition.
- Double tap to change – change your wallpapers automatically when you double tap the screen.
- Shake to change – changes wallpapers when you shake your phone.
- Default position – choose whether to fill or fit the screen.
- Pictures quality – set your quality level. The higher the quality, the more strain on your resources.
We recommend turning Auto Change to “Never” and turning off “Double tap to change” and “Shake to change” if you want static wallpapers.
Now all that’s left to do is to tap your back button on your device and select “Apply.”
Good to know: customizing your lock screen is another cool thing you can do on Android. We show you how.
4. Create Your Own Multi-Screen Wallpaper
There is an alternative to using a live wallpaper app; however, you’ll need to be a little creative. In this case, you’ll be making your own wallpaper that spans across multiple screens – typically, two to three screens at most.
To make this work, you’ll need to use an image-editing tool to merge two or more wallpapers together. While you can use any editor, Canva is simple and free. We recommend doing this in a browser, as it’s easier to manipulate the images.
- Once on Canva’s site, select “Play with Canva” at the bottom.
- You can select any images from the “Photos” section in the left pane or upload your own using the “Uploads” option. Start with a single image and size it so that it only takes up half of the editing space in the right pane. Repeat the process to add a second image. It should look something like the image below when you’re done.
- Select “Download” at the top right and select it a second time to accept the default options. You don’t need an email address to download anything, despite the message box that appears.
- If you did this on your computer, transfer the image to your Android phone. Then, when you select the image to set as your background, ensure you’ve opted for the option to span across multiple screens. Align the image the way you want and set it as your wallpaper.
It may take some trial and error to get the perfect sizing, but this will prevent your battery from dying faster. For instance, you may want to leave some white space on the outer sides of your images to show more of them on your screen.
Want to try your hand at desiging your own Android widget? We demonstrate how to build a simple one from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I just getting a black screen for my wallpapers?
Make sure your first screen wallpaper loads fully in MultiPicture Live Wallpaper before you tap “Apply.” If the screen is still black, your screen will either be black or just a single image across all screens.
Why isn't MultiPicture Live Wallpaper working on my device?
MultiPicture Live Wallpaper is an older app (last updated in 2013). However, it’s still one of the best free options available to do this. It works on most devices, including those running a newer version of Android. However, there is a note in the app description that it may not work at all on Galaxy devices.
While there is a premium version with additional features, try the free one first to ensure it works on your device. Some Galaxy users have reported that the free version worked, but the premium didn’t. The same issues apply with GO Multiple Wallpaper.
Why are my images cycling versus staying static?
The most common reason this happens is that you have changed something in the settings within MultiPicture Live Wallpaper. If you choose a folder or set of images in Common Settings, this can override individual screen settings. Leave these settings completely alone to avoid any issues.
If you’re using FiveWallpapers, you must turn off the “Auto Change” and “Shake” options to avoid cycling.
Are there other ways to customize my Android home screen?
There are multiple ways to customize your Android home screen. For instance, you can set a different home screen as your default, change the layout (including removing app shortcuts), or add a newsfeed page.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.
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