How to change the wallpaper
If you want to personalize the theme on your Pixel 6a, you might want to start with the wallpaper. Tap and hold your finger down on an empty space on your home screen. You’ll see a little window pop up with some options. Tap on the top section that reads Wallpaper & Style. Here, you’ll find the hub for setting the wallpaper to your liking. Up top, you’ll see a preview of how your current wallpaper looks on the lock screen and the home screen. Tap on the Change wallpaper button, and you’ll see Google’s library of professionally-made wallpapers. There is a myriad of these wallpapers to choose from all divided into categories.
All you have to do is tap on the category and choose which wallpaper you want to assign. When you tap on the wallpaper you want to use, you’ll see a preview of what your home screen and lock screen will look like with the new wallpaper added. Swipe to position the wallpaper however you want and tap the checkmark on the bottom to assign it. Google’s library of wallpapers is online-based, so it will be updated with new wallpapers every so often.
Adjusting the system color
Android 12 introduced Dynamic Color, this feature analyses the prominent colors in your wallpaper. Then, it creates a custom color scheme for the UI based on those colors. If your wallpaper is the ocean, you’ll see a lot of blues throughout the software; if it’s a desert, then you’ll see a lot of oranges and yellows. If you want to set the color, go back to the Wallpaper & Style settings you went to before. Under the preview, you’ll see some circles that are divided into sections. Those are the custom themes you’re able to assign to the UI. If your Pixel 6a is on Android 12, then you’ll only have four options. On Android 13, you’ll have 16 options.
When you tap on one of those circles, you’ll see the color scheme change right away. Just tap through the themes until you see one you like. If the wallpaper’s colors aren’t getting you, then you can press the button above that reads Basic colors and you’ll see some random colors to use. On Android 12, you’ll have 4 options, and on Android 13, you’ll have 16 options. There are even some dual-tone options on Android 13.
Dark and light theme
Along with changing the colors of the UI, you’re also able to change the overall aesthetic of the device between light and dark. Your phone should come with the light theme enabled out of the box. This means that the menus, backgrounds, and other UI elements will have a brighter color. However, if you want a darker theme, then you can switch to dark mode. This will give those elements a darker look overall. There are some ways that you can enable this mode. You should see the option in your Quick Settings. If you don’t see it, then you’ll need to edit your quick settings and move it to where you can access it.
Also, if you go to your system settings and go to the Display settings page, you will see the option there. Last, but not least, you’ll see it when you go to your wallpaper settings. Just scroll down a bit.
Next, change up the icons
Part of editing the theme is changing up the icons to your liking. There are a couple of options you have to change up the icons. Going back to the Wallpaper & Style settings, you’ll see the option to use themed icons. Themed icons are colored to match the color scheme you have applied to the system. If you used Dynamic Color, then the icons will reflect the colors you have in your wallpaper. Just know that only the Google apps will have the themed icons for the most part. Third-party apps are slowly adopting themed apps like LinkedIn, Bundled Notes, and Reddit.
App grid
This next setting is both visual and practical. You can change the grid that the icons lie on on the home screen. Go to the Wallpaper & style settings again and scroll all the way down. There, you’ll see the App grid settings page. This page has five options for your app grid: 5×5, 4×4, 4×5, 3×3, and 2×2. As the numbers get smaller, the icons will get bigger. So, 5×5 will make the icons very small while 2×2 will make them gigantic.
Read more about the Pixel 6a
There’s plenty more coverage of the Pixel 6a here at Android Headlines. Firstly, you won’t want to skip our full review of the phone. This gives you our full rundown of the device from its display to its camera to its speakers. Next up, why craft a beautiful theme if you don’t want to share it with others? If you want to know how to take a screenshot of your theme, here’s our how-to guide to doing that. Lastly, you want to make sure that your Pixel 6a’s battery will last as long as possible, right? Well, we have a guide to tell you how to get the most out of your Pixel 6a’s battery.
