Android 17 QPR1 Beta 5 Update Reportedly Includes Hints of a New iOS-Like Wallpaper Shuffle Feature

Google started rolling out the latest Android 17 Quarterly Platform Release 1 (QPR1) beta 5 update to select Google Pixel devices earlier this week. The new developer beta version resolves multiple issues present in earlier beta releases of Android 17 related to the Camera app, Game Dashboard, Always-On Display, and Download Manager. The Mountain View-based tech giant began rolling out the QPR1 Beta 5 update days after the first stable version of Android 17 was released. While the company has yet to reveal the new features that ship with the latest QPR1 beta version, a report highlights that the update also includes hints for a new iOS-like wallpaper feature.

Google Pixel Phones Might Get a New Wallpaper Shuffle Feature

During an APK teardown of the latest Android 17 QPR1 Beta 5 update, Android Authority spotted a new wallpaper feature, which resembles iOS' Photo Shuffle functionality. Dubbed Photo Shuffle, the feature is said to let Android users create a dedicated album of select photos, which will automatically shuffle through the phone's wallpaper.

While users can choose to create a new album, the new Android 17 QPR1 Beta 5 feature reportedly also allows users to select an existing album to shuffle through the screen. According to the screenshots shared by the publication, Photo Shuffle appears in a separate window. The page reads, “Create an album of your favourite people and pets to auto-refresh your wallpaper”.

Along with this, the Photo Shuffle functionality will let users choose how frequently the wallpapers must auto-refresh. The Android 17 QPR1 Beta 5 update reportedly lets users select from four options, namely On Tap, Hourly, Daily, and Sunset/Sunrise. To access Photo Shuffle, users will reportedly have to open the Settings app, navigate to Wallpaper & style, tap on More wallpapers, and then select a Collection.

As previously mentioned, the Photo Shuffle feature reportedly comes as part of the Android 17 QPR1 Beta 5 update. Google started rolling out the new beta version on June 23. According to the release notes, the update resolves an issue in the Game Dashboard where users were unable to stop screen recordings or save recorded files, while also resolving the issue that caused the Camera app to freeze.