If you’re a fan of background blur, Google’s new Material 3 Expressive design is something to look out for. As part of that revamp, Google is adding background blur to the notification panel, Quick Settings panels, and more. But that’s not all; Android 16 may also blur the lock screen wallpaper with the help of a new always-on display (AOD) feature.
Android 16 may blur the lock screen wallpaper with ‘ambient AOD’ enabled
Now, you must be wondering what’s new about displaying lock screen wallpaper on the AOD. Unlike the Pixel 3 series, which briefly allowed support for blur lock screen wallpaper with AOD enabled, most Pixel devices haven’t received support in recent years. Well, Google has been working on this for quite some time, and we’re now seeing it in action.
According to Android Authority, Google calls the new AOD lock screen blur wallpaper implementation “ambient AOD.” Google teased the feature at last week’s Android Show: I/O Edition event, but didn’t explicitly talk about it.
The outlet also managed to access the early version of the “ambient AOD” on their Pixel 8 Pro. You can check out the images attached below to see blur wallpaper on the lock screen with AOD enabled in Android 16. Not to forget, the feature might arrive with the upcoming Android 16 quarterly release.
The feature is reportedly buggy at the moment
With the ‘ambient AOD” on, the device’s screen flickers. It may have happened because the Pixel 8 Pro’s display isn’t capable of showing blur wallpaper on the lock screen with AOD on.
Code changes spotted by Android Authority mention something similar. It mentions the feature “will only be supported by particular displays.” Therefore, we are expecting to see the ambient AOD feature on next-gen Pixel devices, like the Pixel 10 series. If you missed watching Google’s I/O event live, here’s a quick recap.
