Android Guide

How to Auto-Change Your Android Wallpaper

Set your lock screen to refresh on its own โ€” a fresh photo of wherever it's 5 o'clock, on whatever schedule you like. Free, no root required.

Android doesn't have a built-in shortcut system like the iPhone, but the free MacroDroid app does the same job โ€” and often more reliably, since Android is less aggressive about killing scheduled tasks. You'll build one simple "macro" that downloads a fresh wallpaper and sets it, on repeat.

Step 1 โ€” Install MacroDroid

๏ผ‹ Get MacroDroid (Free)

Free on Google Play ยท ~5 min setup

  1. Install MacroDroid from Google Play and open it.
  2. Allow the permissions it asks for (it needs them to set your wallpaper).

Step 2 โ€” Build the macro

  1. Tap Add Macro.
  2. Add a Trigger โ†’ Day/Time or Regular Interval, and choose how often to refresh (for example, every hour).
  3. Add an Action โ†’ HTTP Request (GET). Set the URL to https://5-oclock-somewhere.com/wallpaper/current.png and choose to save the response to a file.
  4. Add another Action โ†’ Set Wallpaper. Point it at the file from the previous step and set the target to Lock Screen. Make sure the HTTP Request action runs first.
  5. Save the macro and toggle it on.

Step 3 โ€” Test it

Long-press your new macro and choose Test. Your lock screen should update within a couple of seconds to a photo of a city where it's currently 5 PM.

If updates stop: some phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and others) aggressively pause background apps to save battery. Go to Settings โ†’ Apps โ†’ MacroDroid โ†’ Battery and set it to Unrestricted so the scheduled runs aren't killed.

Frequently asked

Is this free? โ–ผ
Yes. MacroDroid's free tier is enough for this, and the wallpapers are free with no account.
Does it use much data or battery? โ–ผ
Very little โ€” each refresh downloads one compressed image (a few hundred KB). Set the interval to match how often you actually want a new view.
Can I put it on the home screen too? โ–ผ
Yes โ€” in the Set Wallpaper action, choose Home Screen, Lock Screen, or both.
I have an iPhone โ€” is there a version for me? โ–ผ
Yes, using a free Shortcut. See our iPhone auto-wallpaper guide.

Ready to try it?

See where it's 5 o'clock right now, then point MacroDroid at the live wallpaper.

See where it's 5 PM โ†’ All guides
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