Skip to main content

Skyline allows you to turn any location into your phone’s background

Looking for a unique new wallpaper for your Android smartphone? The new Skyline app may be just what you need. This app allows users to turn their current location, or any other location, into their phone’s wallpaper.

The app was created by developer Justin Fincher and combines satellite imagery and aerial photos to build interactive images that can then be used as your phone’s wallpaper. When sliding between pages on your smartphone, the image will shift a bit. It also moves when the smartphone is rotated.

It looks impressive, but using Skyline is easy. The app can determine your location through your phone’s GPS service, so you’ll have no trouble setting it up. Some people might be wondering if the app is worth it if their current location is visually uninteresting. After all, a small apartment complex is hardly the most interesting imagery to see everytime you turn on your phone. Fortunately, Skyline allows you to choose from any location in the world in order to create a unique and interesting background

Those users on Android Oreo 8.1 will have access to one other cool feature. The app will automatically change the color of your phone’s menu screen in order to better match your background. It is not a huge feature, but it does help to keep things looking good.

Skyline can be found on the Google Play Store for $2. Fincher has said that he intends to improve the app as time goes on. His current goal is to create a feature that will allow Skyline to change your phone’s wallpaper to automatically match your current location. This could prove to be an interesting little feature that ensures your phone’s background never gets old. Fincher has also said he has other features planned in the future.

One of the big advantages about Android phones is how easy it is to customize the experience and that isn’t limited to the wallpaper. If you want to change your phone’s launcher, you can do that. You can also change the phone’s widgets making it more functional and pleasing to look at.

Editors' Recommendations

Eric Brackett
Former Digital Trends Contributor
The Google app on your Android phone is getting a helpful new feature
Google app on Android beta showing Notifications.

The Google app for Android phones is getting a helpful new feature to make search even better. The latest beta has a dedicated "Notifications" feed in its bottom bar. The feature was first introduced on the mobile version of Google for Android earlier this year. The app feature was first noticed by 9to5Google.

The app now includes a Notifications option at the bottom, next to Discover, Search, and Saved items. The Notifications section displays a continuous list of alerts from Google Search, weather conditions, flight information, sports scores, movies and TV shows, and more. The notifications are grouped under “Today” and “Earlier." This feature should prove handy if you miss a notification from the Google app, as it provides a more focused view than Android's system-level history.

Read more
Google has a magical new way for you to control your Android phone
Holding the Google Pixel 8 Pro, showing its Home Screen.

You don’t need your hands to control your Android phone anymore. At Google I/O 2024, Google announced Project Gameface for Android, an incredible new accessibility feature that will let users control their devices with head movements and facial gestures.

There are 52 unique facial gestures supported. These include raising your eyebrow, opening your mouth, glancing in a certain direction, looking up, smiling, and more. Each gesture can be mapped to an action like pulling down the notification shade, going back to the previous app, opening the app drawer, or going back to home. Users can customize facial expressions, gesture sizes, cursor speed, and more.

Read more
You’ll soon be able to control your iPhone and iPad with your eyes
The iPad Air 4 in hand.

Apple has announced a bunch of new accessibility features that will arrive later this year for iPhone and iPad owners. Notable among them is the ability to interact with iOS and iPadOS interfaces using eye movement, which is something that's seen in a similar system on Mac hardware.

The company calls it Eye Tracking, and it's a system built on the Dwell Control foundations. So far, Dwell Control has been available as part of the Accessibility Keyboard on macOS, allowing users to execute mouse actions using eye and head gestures.

Read more