Beautiful backgrounds

Global – Android is putting smartphone wallpaper to good use thanks to some eye-catching data visualisation.

• We have already seen brands capitalise on mobile dead space such as screensavers for guerrilla marketing campaigns
• Android has launched Meter, a dynamic smartphone wallpaper that shows key information at a glance 

Space is at a premium in the digital world, and the idea that we have an interface that doesn’t add to the online experience seems wasteful. To that end, mobile operating system Android has developed a new set of wallpapers that do more than look good.

With the help of designers Mikkel Koser and coders Jonas Jongejan and Kyle Phillips, Android has created Meter, a dynamic set of geometric wallpapers that visualise important information such as battery life, wi-fi signal strength and notifications. Each visualisation is also animated using ambient data from the device’s accelerometer data, causing the shapes to twist and transform with every movement.