First look: Pixel’s ‘Magic Portrait’ frames your photos on the lock screen

The Pixel wallpaper app in Android 16 QPR1 adds a Magic Portrait feature that puts your lock screen wallpaper in a frame

May 21, 2025 - 01:10

First look: Pixel’s ‘Magic Portrait’ frames your photos on the lock screen

Pixel phones are gaining a “Magic Portrait” feature in the Android 16 beta to enhance lock screen wallpapers by framing cutouts of subjects.
This new tool, found in the Pixel wallpaper app’s effects, automatically isolates part of an image and offers various frame shapes and background colors.
Alternatively, users can apply dynamic weather effects to their wallpapers, adding another layer of personalization.

There are plenty of ways to find new wallpapers for your Android device, from simply browsing the web to following Android Authority. However, if you have a Pixel phone and can’t find one that catches your eye, you also have several options to create your own. You can transform existing photos into short 3D animations with the Pixel’s Cinematic Wallpaper feature, design an emoji collage using the Emoji Workshop app, or generate unique wallpapers through the AI Wallpaper app. Soon, another option will join this lineup: the new Magic Portrait feature, which takes your existing lock screen wallpaper and places it in a beautiful frame to make it stand out even more.

Magic Portrait is rolling out with the new Android 16 beta which Google released today. After installing the new update on a Pixel 9 Pro, we found the new Magic Portrait option by opening the Pixel wallpaper app, tapping the lock screen preview, and then selecting the ‘effects’ button.