Ryan Haines / Android Authority
I have an app for almost everything I could ever need. Whether I’m craving pizza, need to calculate compound interest, find a tailor for a shirt alteration, or check the current Premier League scores, I can accomplish all of these tasks with an app of some description. So naturally, when it comes to customizing my phone’s wallpaper, I’ll use a dedicated wallpaper app.
According to a recent reader poll, though, not every Android Authority reader agrees. Most of you get wallpapers directly from the internet, swatting apps like Panels to the wayside. However, there’s a problem with relying on apps and the internet for customization: these wallpapers aren’t entirely yours. With this in mind, I’ve made a point to go a step further with my phone customization and create my own wallpapers to bring a real personal touch to my device. For those who want to do the same, here are some ways I go about this.
Do you make your own wallpapers for your phone? 38 votes Yes, I use images from my camera. 42 % Yes, I use a drawing app or wallpaper creator. 13 % Kind of. I let my phone generate wallpapers for me. 8 % No, I get my wallpapers from an app. 13 % No, I get my wallpapers from the internet. 24 % Something else (explain in the comments). 0 %
I learned how to draw (and turned it into a hobby)
Andy Walker / Android Authority
The most obvious way to create your own wallpaper is to quite literally “create” it. I’ve been on a mission to unleash my creativity in recent years, and doodling is a core part of this. For me, this means pulling out my trusty old Samsung Galaxy Note 9, complete with its still-functioning S Pen. Sure, it’s ancient at this point, still runs Android 10, and is achingly slow with any modern processing workload, but it has become my digital art book.
Drawing is a wonderful way to decompress, and you get a brilliant wallpaper out of it!
However, you don’t necessarily need a stylus or an S Pen to draw on your phone. Apps like Sketchbook make it easy to doodle or create art on your phone with your finger. Sure, there is a learning curve, but it’s nothing that cannot be overcome with a few minutes a day. Notably, creating art has its advantages, from developing a skill and offering a relaxing break from doom-scrolling to fine-tuning fine motor skills.
Look, not everything I doodle is worth using, but it’s the process that I find important.
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