Update: Just moments after publishing this article we learned that XDA Recognized Developer and Themer Pranav Pandey had begun working on port of this software for older Android devices. It was originally released to work on just Android Oreo due to its minimum API targeting, but now has been ported to fully work on 7.0+ and in some cases 6.0+. Here are the changes the developer made:

  • Android 7.0+ support (Android 6.0.x... not officially tested but some wallpapers are found to be working).
  • It will not replace the Live Earth Wallpapers as the package name is different.
  • Select from different live wallpapers. Wallpapers > Live wallpapers >
  • On some devices/ROMs (like Samsung, etc.), please install Google Wallpapers to set live wallpapers.

You can find the forum post and download link right here in our forums. In case that Google Drive link goes down, here's a mirror.


The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will soon be in the hands of those who pre-ordered them, but many are checking out the device at their local Verizon Wireless store. Some people who have had early access to these devices have started grabbing some of its applications as well -- we recently showed you how to get the Pixel 2-exclusive wallpapers on non-Pixel devices but some users ran into issues with a few of them. Thankfully though, Reddit member elmkzgirxp was able to get it fully working with the libraries for the Google Earth application.

We generally see these applications a lot when a new smartphone is released and sometimes these exclusive features within apps are released after they've been available for a long time. With the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL getting closer to release, it made sense that we would start to see some of its new applications pulled from the ROM itself. For example, the new Pixel launcher that comes with the search bar at the bottom has received a lot of attention.

You could replicate this with custom launchers such as Nova Launcher since it includes so many customization options. However, we recently got our hands on the actual APK for it and provided it for those who wanted to test and see if it would work on their device. We personally tested it on the Galaxy Note 8 as well as last year's Pixel XL and it worked without issues. With the upcoming release of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, many have been waiting to check out its new live wallpapers as well -- specifically the beach live wallpaper that Google showcased during their launch event.

While the Pixel 2 Wallpapers app started circulating around Reddit and XDA, it wasn't wholly functional and users would encounter a few issues. Sadly, this was due to some missing library files that we were unable to obtain at that time. Reddit user elmkzgirxp noticed there was an issue with missing library files and tried experimenting to figure out if it was fixable using currently available applications.

google pixel 2 live wallpapers

After some tinkering, they were able to figure out that using some library files from the Google Earth application actually fixed the issue. This makes sense, as some of these live wallpapers are actually locations here on Earth, such as the globe which has been known to showcase weather updates. There is still more to this application as even when using the Google Earth libraries they still don't have their own category. It's speculated that this is because that feature relies on another application or some other missing component that we are not yet aware of.

Either way, the live wallpapers that were not functional from the initial release of the APK are now working just as you would expect them to. Your smartphone or tablet needs to be running Android 8.0 Oreo since the minimum API level of the application itself is 26. The smartphone or tablet also needs to have an ARM64 chip in it though, so those with a 32-bit ARM or x86 processor will have to wait for a potential port of the Google Pixel Wallpapers application.

The last restriction here has to do with the fact that this APK was signed with a test-key. This means that you cannot simply install this on top of your current Google Pixel Wallpapers application and, if possible, you will need to uninstall it before you can use this new version. This will be easy for those who manually sideloaded the original version of this application but means that first generation Pixel and Pixel XL owners (who aren't rooted and on stock Android) will need to wait until Google rolls out the update via the Play Store, or get their hands dirty.

You'll find the download link to the updated APK file by following the source link below!


Source: /u/elmkzgirxp

Thanks for reaching out to us /u/elmkzgirxp!