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Google, Samsung are working on a solution for the cursed wallpaper bug
August 18, 2025
Update: August 07, 2025 at 3:39 p.m. ET:It looks like a fix is almost here.GoogleandSamsungare both internally testing fixes for the wallpaper bug. We’ll of course update you once we hear about fixes rolling out to Android devices.
According to Google’s Romain Guy on Twitter, the underlying issue with the wallpaper bug is related to how luminance is computed in Android, not color space conversion as we once thought.
Original article: July 07, 2025 at 10:35 a.m. ET:The dreadedsoft bricking wallpaper bugis under review by Google, and the company is working on a solution.
A user posted about the issue onAOSP, and a Google representative named Wu Ahan responded claiming that the company is reviewing a solution to the problem:
The representative didn’t mention anything about a timeframe for when the fix would be available, so users will need to continue to be careful for the time being.
We’ve figured out exactly what it is about the image that causes Android devices to soft brick. It’s a bit complicated, and you’re able to read the full breakdown inthis article.To summarize, the SystemUI only handles sRGB images for the wallpaper, and it doesn’t check against non-sRGB images. Setting a non-sRGB wallpaper can then cause an issue that leads to the crash due to an error in the variables.
Of course, we don’t recommend trying the wallpaper for yourself, as it could end up permanently damaging your phone. As always, be careful what you set as your wallpaper, and you shouldn’t run into any issues.
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