13-05-2025
Did you spot these unannounced Pixel features in Google's big Android Show reveal?
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
TL;DR Google's Material 3 Expressive preview quietly reveals two upcoming Pixel features: AOD wallpapers and a redesigned lock screen with a compact notification shelf.
Always On Display support for wallpapers was last seen on the Pixel 3, making this its first appearance since.
The updated pixel lock screen layout includes shifted At a Glance widgets and an optional compact notification shelf.
Google has shared many announcements today through The Android Show: I/O Edition, including big news in the form of Material 3 Expressive, which is bringing about design refreshes for Android and Wear OS. Curiously, as part of the announcement, Google has shown off two features that it doesn't talk about in the barrage of announcements today: Wallpaper on the Always On Display, and Pixel's new lock screen layout with the compact notification shelf.
You will notice these two secrets hidden in plain sight if you check out the Live Updates GIF in Google's Material 3 Expressive announcement.
This GIF (converted to video format above) starts with the lock screen wallpaper visible on the Always On Display. Google hasn't talked about this feature yet, nor has it been leaked for the Android 16 or beyond releases, so this is the feature's first sighting.
However, the Always On Display wallpaper support isn't new to the Google Pixel lineup. It was first spotted in the Android 9 Pie source code in 2018 and subsequently debuted on the Pixel 3. For whatever reason, subsequent Pixels don't have this feature, while iPhones and even Samsung Galaxy phones have had this for a while.
The GIF also shows off the new Pixel lock screen layout and the compact notification shelf that we have previously leaked. As you'll notice in the images above, the At a Glance widget's date and weather complications have moved to the right of the clock, which we predicted back then. At the time, we noted that these complications also move below the clock when centered, but the GIF doesn't show that yet.
The compact notification shelf is expected to be an optional setting that collapses notifications on the lock screen for a cleaner lock screen look. Instead of showing the full notification preview, only the app's icon appears in a small, slightly transparent chip located below the At a Glance widget's contextual information complication, ensuring it doesn't obstruct the wallpaper. Tapping this chip expands the notification shade, revealing all pending notifications.
Here's a better look at the updated lock screen layout, from our previous coverage on Android's big UI overhaul:
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
Old vs new lock screen notification shelf in Android
These changes are not coming to Android 16's first release, but could come with future Android 16 QPR releases or even Android 17. We'll keep you updated when we learn more.
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