Muzei is a unique wallpaper app for Android devices

Not another wallpaper app please, I hear you say. Well, normally I would agree with you and not review an app if it would be like any of the other apps available for Android that provide you with wallpaper related features.

But, Muzei is different and unique in a sense, and that is reason enough to make an exemption this time. So, sit back and enjoy the show, you won't regret it, I promise.

Lets start with the negative first to get it out of the way. Muzei is only compatible with Android 4.2 or newer devices. If you are stuck with an older Android version, then this is not for you.

Muzei review

The first thing that is special about Muzei is that it applies a blur and dim effect to the wallpaper that it downloads and applies to your device automatically.

This may sound strange at first, considering that one of the main reasons for displaying a wallpaper is to look at it. The effect however is pretty cool and you will notice that it makes the icons and all more accessible. So no more guessing what that icon text reads because of the background image that makes it barely readable.

In addition, you can double-tap on the wallpaper at any time to make it fully visible for a short period of time.

You can modify the blur and dim values in the advanced settings. In theory, that gives you the power to disable them both completely, so that the wallpaper images are shown in their full glory at all times.

To modify those values, open the Muzei application on your device and tap on the settings button that appears in the lower right corner.

Select customize from the context menu and select advanced under choose source at the top. Here you find the two sliders to manage the blur and dim values, and an option to turn off new wallpaper notifications.

The second interesting feature of Muzei is its support for sources. It ships only with two, featured art and photos from the device, but supports dozens of plugins that you can install separately to add Reddit, 500px, Flickr, Deviant Art, Bing, Instagram and a variety of other sources to it from which you can select one to use.

Some sources provide you with additional options. The Reddit source for example can be customized in regards to subreddits used to pull wallpapers, with earth-, space- and exposureporn reddits (those are safe for work by the way) used by default only.

You can add any subreddit you like, change the refresh duration from the default 60 minutes, or limit refreshes to times when the device is connected to Wifi.

Preferences may differ depending on which plugins you have installed. The 500px plugin for Muzei for example offers slightly different options. You can pick a category that you are interested in and select to load only popular, fresh, upcoming or editors' choice photos from the selection.

Verdict

Muzei is a unique wallpaper application for Android that supports an unbelievable amount of wallpaper repositories and photo posting sites. The blur and dim effect is quite unique, and since you can customize it using the app, is something that you can make use of but do not have to.

Now Read: Use solid colors as backgrounds on Android

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