A feature that was introduced in Android 2.1 is live wallpapers, and they debuted on the Nexus One back in early January 2010. Live wallpapers are basically animated, interactive homescreen backgrounds that can behave differently depending on the time of the day, where you are, Internet updates, and how you move and touch your device. One can think of them as tiny applications that run in the background, and they have access to all the facilities of the Android platform.
Some people don’t like live wallpapers, since they believe the wallpapers mainly slow down the phone, drain the battery and are distracting. They might have a point, and perhaps it’s just the charm of novelty, but I really enjoy them. I’ve always wanted my phones to not only be functional, but personal, fun, and visually appealing. One of the many things I love about Android is how customizable it is, and I welcome all new ways to personalize my device. Live wallpapers can also be functional, like the one that comes with the latest version of Google Maps. If I’m going to keep using them in the long run, however, remains to be seen.
Several of the default live wallpapers (like Galaxy, Grass, Nexus and Water) would probably qualify for this list, but I leave them out of account here as I’m only talking about third-party live wallpapers. I tried a lot of wallpapers when writing this piece, but naturally I haven’t been able to test all of them, so if I have missed any cool ones, please feel free to let me know. It was comparatively easy to figure out the top entrants, but it was difficult to decide which wallpaper was better than the other, so they are in no particular order. Click on a thumbnail to see the full picture.
Top Free Android Live Wallpapers
This live wallpaper keeps it simple by just showing a ridge with trees silhouetted against a sunset, while clouds gently move across the skyline. The image that is used provides a good contrast to all the widgets and shortcuts on your homescreen, so it’s not in the way. It would be nice with some options, though. 
Of all the live wallpapers on this list, I think PongClock presently has the highest rating on the Market: 4.51 / 5 (based on only 51 ratings, though). It shows a game of Pong on your homescreen, as well as the current time, and it has a true retro feel. PongClock comes with many settings, and even a multitouch game mode! Check it out. 
Mystify displays dancing lines that changes color and twists across the screen against a black background. It’s clean and not too distracting. 
If PongClock is the highest rated live wallpaper on this list, Earth is definitely the most popular, and it has a high rating as well (4.31). As the name implies, Earth shows our world as seen from space. The globe rotates, and there are plenty of ways to customize the animation. You can change the background, add a starfield, change the speed and rotation, the size of the globe, choose between many different maps, add an orbiting moon, et cetera. I can see why Earth is so popular. 
Zoomfield shows flying objects coming towards you, but unlike many of the other live wallpapers with similarly styled animations, Zoomfield is rather soothing. 
I had heard a lot of good things about Starfield, and I must admit that I initially was a bit disappointed when I first tried it. My main objection was that it seemed too distracting – a bit stressful, even. But after I slightly decreased the number of stars, the speed and activated the Background option, I really enjoyed having stars coming towards me. I think Starfield is clean, stylish and has a nerdy cool to it. The live wallpaper reminds me of Star Wars, and that is always a good thing (except for the turkey Phantom Menace, of course). You can even double-tap on your screen to engage the warp engines! There’s a similar live wallpaper called 3D Galaxy, but I prefer this one. 
This live wallpaper shows a boat on a billowy ocean, and since Wave is connected to your phone’s accelerometer, tilting your device will move the boat. 
Plasma is customizable live wallpaper that generates flowing, psychedelic colors on your homescreen. It comes with an effect builder and a series of presets. I like when live wallpapers aren’t in your face, and Plasma is classy. 
PopSquares is a basic, calming and customizable live wallpaper, and consists of a matrix of color-cycling rectangles. 
Even though I like the idea of having fish swimming around on my homescreens, I think Aquarium has lots of room for improvement. It shows tropical fish in a fish tank, and the animations are alright, but I think the general look is a bit too childish. 
The developer describes his creation with the words “Bouncing lines, old school live wallpaper. A nostalgic trip with the old screen saver.” Depending on how you configure Lines, it can almost have a ghostly effect. It’s a good choice for those who like plain black backgrounds, but want to add a twist to it. 
This live wallpaper shows slowly moving bézier curves, inspired by the PS3 homescreen. You can customize the look of it, and the live wallpaper has seven different color themes. I enjoy Bezier, because it’s not distracting, it’s clean, slick and it makes the homescreen a bit more fun to look at. 
Galactic Core is similar to the default Galaxy live wallpaper, and they both share a serene quality. Galactic Core features a rotating spiral galaxy, is unobtrusive and doesn’t distract. 
This is a modification of the Nexus live wallpaper that comes preloaded with Android 2.1, but unlike the original, NexusMod has lots of options. I like how it’s geek chic, but I wish it had a speed setting since it’s a bit too busy for my taste.
Bobs may not appeal to everyone, but of the live wallpapers that show animations moving across the screen, this is one of my favorites. I like how the color of the animation changes, and how it slows down, speeds up and twirls. The developer calls it “yet another nostalgic 20th century old school demo effect”, reminiscent of those that could bee seen on the Amiga back in the day. 
Live Waterpaper uses OpenGL to create a watery effect, and when you tap on the screen, you manipulate the water’s surface. This is currently my favorite live wallpaper (I think), mainly because it’s subtle and peaceful, but it still has a nice and very tangible effect, and since you can use it with the background image(s) of your choice, you can avoid all contrast issues. It’s like a regular homescreen wallpaper, but with a bit of oomph to it – the best of two worlds. 
This is a live wallpaper that shoots off fireworks in all sorts of colors, and you can tap on the screen to launch a new firework. Fireworks has lots of settings, and you can make it look quite good, but I would have enjoyed this live wallpaper more if the animations were a bit more realistic. 
I initially made the mistake of dismissing this live wallpaper, since I didn’t give it enough time to do its thing, and it looks kind of modest at first. It’s also not a single live wallpaper, but several – all with different effects. The developer describes them with these words: “A set of live wallpapers, each displaying a slowly changing pattern which gradually evolves in your home screen. These subtle animations save battery power and keep your home screen responsive.” I could add “artistic” to that description. I think Substrate is one of the better and most original live wallpapers out there at the moment. 
This is a live wallpaper for all the fellow nerds out there: it displays the Android activity log on your screen. You can select which font to use, and Logcat has an “old phosphor effect” option. There’s a full version as well, which is more customizable. I think Logcat is a bit too distracting, and it makes it rather hard at times to see the shortcuts on your homescreen, but it’s still a fun live wallpaper that deserves to be on this list.
This live wallpaper shows zombies walking across your screen, and if you tap on them – an airplane comes flying in and blasts those bad boys into oblivion. It’s apparently a fan work for Metal Slug (a series of video games that made its debut on the Neo-Geo back in 1996).
Shake Them All! is a very popular live wallpaper that displays Androids falling down your screen, using a realistic physics engine and your phone’s accelerometer. The falling Androids apparently react to gravity (I guess he’s not talking about the same gravity that keeps us on the ground), touching, shaking your phone and even light and sound.
While we’re on the topic of falling Androids, one cannot fail to mention the Flying Androids of this live wallpaper. It displays Androids in various sizes and at different distances flying across your screen. Some of them are apparently into extreme sports, as they use skateboards as their preferred method of transportation…
Do you know of any more interesting live wallpapers that can be added to the list? Let me know and I’ll add it to the collection.
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