At launch, the new Pixel 8a did not have the feature that allows you to generate wallpapers using AI, something that many users noticed once they received their devices. However, that has changed with the latest update deployed by Google. In this way, the mid-range model is increasingly closer in terms of features to its more expensive Pixel 8 brothers (especially the vanilla model).
Google announced the AI Wallpaper feature at its I/O conference last year. Later, the Pixel 8 series devices arrived as the first ones to integrate it before rolling out to other Pixel phones. This option allows you to generate new wallpapers based on a text prompt. Basically, Google added the popular AI image generation feature to the wallpaper system of its Pixel phones. The Galaxy S24 series also has a similar option, but this is no surprise as Samsung worked together with Google on the Galaxy AI suite.
Now you can generate wallpapers using AI on your Pixel 8a
The Google Pixel 8a was officially announced this month. For unknown reasons, the AI Wallpaper feature was not present. This made some think that Google had cut features from its mid-range phone to prevent it from being too close to the more expensive models. However, it didn’t take long for the company to silence these rumors by deploying it to the Pixel 8a too. The company has done it right after its latest Google I/O 2024 event.
So, now the difference between the Pixel 8a and the vanilla Pixel 8 is smaller than ever. On the other hand, the Pixel 8 Pro still has some exclusive AI-powered features, and even a “Pro” mode for the camera. Regarding the Pixel 8a, the update also brought the May security patch to keep your device up-to-date. The OTA is about 190MB in size and is probably already available for your device.
If you have not yet received the OTA availability notification, you can try a manual check from Settings. If it is still not available, don’t worry; it probably won’t take long to reach your device.
