Live wallpapers. Remember them? They used to be something of a fashion statement for Android aficionados and one of the features that distinguished Android from the iPhone. While live wallpapers on Android may not be quite the technical marvel they once were, now’s a better time than ever to try them. Here we show you how to make and set live and video wallpaper on Android.
Also read: 8 of the Best Live Weather Wallpaper Apps for Android
How to Get and Use Live Wallpaper
To set a live wallpaper, you’ll first need to get your hands on one. Some Android phones come pre-loaded with live wallpaper.
To set one as your wallpaper, go to “Settings -> Display -> Advanced -> Wallpaper -> Live Wallpapers.” Here you’ll find pre-installed live wallpaper and the wallpaper you’ve downloaded. Just tap the one you want to open, then tap “Set wallpaper.” Alternatively, you can long-press the home screen, tap on Wallpapers, and select the downloaded live wallpaper from there.
If, however, you want to use new live wallpaper or make your own, you can try live wallpaper apps from Maxelus.net or track down some of the best live wallpapers, like Cartogram, which stylizes a map of your local area into an elegant dynamic theme.
There’s also Hypno Clock Live Wallpaper, which tells you the time in a beautiful abstraction of the inside of a clock. You can also try one of those big live wallpaper catalog apps like Live Wallpapers 4K or Live Wallpapers, but expect to sift through a bunch of ads before getting the live wallpaper you want.
Using these apps, download the live wallpaper of your choice. Some wallpaper apps let you set live wallpaper directly from within the app itself. Just follow the on-screen instructions. If that doesn’t happen, follow the steps mentioned above to set live wallpaper.
Also read: How to Compress a Video on Android
How to Turn a Video into Live Wallpaper
These ready-made live wallpapers are all well and good, but what if you want to turn one of your own videos into live wallpaper? Some phones will let you turn videos into live wallpapers as a feature.
How to Set a Video as Live Wallpaper on Samsung Phones
On Samsung Galaxy phones, you can set a video as a lock screen wallpaper or background. To set as lock screen wallpaper, go to the Gallery and select the video file you want as your wallpaper. Tap the menu icon (three dots) and choose “Set as wallpaper” followed by “Lock screen.” If the video is long, you will be asked to trim the video. You can do this by tapping on the “Trim” button.
How to Set a Video as Live Wallpaper on Xiaomi Phones
Xiaomi phones also let you set video wallpaper by going to the “Themes app -> My Page -> Wallpapers -> My Live Wallpapers.” Click the “+” icon and select one of your videos to turn it into wallpaper.
Also read: How to Add a Different Wallpaper to Each Android Home Screen
Best Video Live Wallpaper Apps
If your phone doesn’t offer the feature, the following third-party apps can also help you set your personal or favorite videos as live wallpapers on your Android device.
1. VideoWall
A good option for a third-party app that would allow you to set a video as live wallpaper is VideoWall. Once you’ve installed the app, open it and select the video you want to use as wallpaper.
Set about customizing things like turning audio on or off and, crucially, how you want it scaled. It is recommended that you use a portrait video for video wallpaper as a horizontal video may not fit well. After you’ve set everything up, click the “Set wallpaper” button to make it your background.
You can set this newly-created video as the live wallpaper for your home screen, lock screen, or both.
2. Video Live Wallpaper
The Video Live Wallpaper app is another free app on the Google Play Store. After installation, open the app and tap on the Gallery option to select your video. Preview and set the selected video by tapping on the “Set live wallpaper” option. The app also offers features such as muting the audio, loop video, and more. Do keep the “Loop video” option enabled, otherwise, the video won’t play again after playing just once.
The app comes with a “Keep Aspect Ratio” option. Using this feature, the app will automatically crop your video to fit the aspect ratio of your device’s screen.
3. Video Live Wallpaper by NaingDroid
In addition to the features offered by the above two apps, the Video Live Wallpaper app also lets you trim videos. Open the app after installing it and select the video you want to set as your live wallpaper. Use the trim selection bar to select the start and end points of your video. Tap on the link “Set icon” at the top to use the video as wallpaper.
Some other video wallpaper apps that you can try are Video (.MP4; .MOV) to Wallpaper and Any video live wallpaper.
Also read: How to Turn a Picture into Wallpaper on Android (And Make It Fit)
How to Set a Landscape Video as Live Wallpaper on Android
With the above apps, you can only set a portrait video as your wallpaper. You will find issues with landscape orientation videos, as the apps will stretch them to fit your screen.
If you want to use a landscape video as live wallpaper without stretching, you will need to convert the landscape video to a portrait orientation. Third-party apps can help with this. One of the best apps to use is the InShot app.
Open the InShot app after installing it. Load your landscape video in the app. Tap on the Canvas tab. Choose 9:16 orientation and hit the Checkmark icon.
The app will automatically keep a background color for the empty space. If you want to change the background color, tap on the Background option and choose a background color or blur of your choice. Tap the Checkmark icon.
Finally, tap on the Save button to download the video to your phone. Once downloaded, set it as your wallpaper as described in the portrait video section above.
How to Set 4D Live Wallpapers
The latest and newest approach to customizing your Android device’s home screen is 4D live wallpapers. Notably, these 4D live wallpapers make use of the gyroscope and accelerometer sensors on your phone and provide an amazing 3D depth effect. This means the 4D wallpaper that you have set will respond to the movement you make with your phone.
One of the best apps for setting up 4D live wallpaper is the 4D Live Wallpaper app. There are tons of animated live wallpapers with amazing depth effects. This app has wallpapers from different categories, including superheroes, space, black neon, flaming skulls, geometric shapes, and much more.
You can also try other 4D live wallpaper apps, such as 4D Parallax Wallpaper and X Live Wallpaper – HD 3D/4D live wallpaper. These apps have a huge collection of 4D live wallpapers that you will enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my live wallpaper keep turning black?
If your live wallpaper keeps turning black, you need to enable the Loop feature in the video live wallpaper app used. If the feature isn’t enabled, the video will stop after playing once. You should also try disabling battery-saving mode on your phone by going to “Settings -> Battery.” Turn off adaptive or power-saving mode.
What should I do if the video can't be converted to live wallpaper?
Almost all videos can be converted to live wallpapers provided they are in the correct format. However, if a video cannot be set as wallpaper, try converting it into a supported format as shown next. Secondly, change its orientation to portrait instead of landscape. Similarly, you should trim your videos using any video editor so that the video can loop easily.
Which video formats can be used for live wallpapers?
All the regular video formats such as MP4, 3GP, WebM, etc. can be set as live wallpapers. If a format isn’t supported, navigate to the online video convertor tool and convert the video to MP4. You can even set a GIF as wallpaper on Android.
Do live wallpapers affect battery life?
Most live wallpapers, especially the pre-installed ones, are now well-optimized for battery life. However, some wallpapers can affect your phone’s battery life. Those include the manually-created video wallpapers or those that use third-party apps.
You should use the live wallpaper, then check its usage under “Settings -> Battery” to see how your it affects battery life.
Wrapping Up
After learning how to set live wallpaper on your Android phone, check out these wallpaper changer apps and live weather apps. You can also use screen-recording apps to create a video that can be set as a wallpaper.
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