Saturday, September 21, 2013

wallpapr Sets WP8 Lock Screen To Auto-Cycle Through Flickr Photos

Forget the snazzy camera apps and superior Facebook integration, it’s features like the dynamic lock screen and resizable live tiles that make Windows Phone 8 a much better OS in everyday routine than Mango ever was. In the past, we have seen the likes of Shoopix and Lock Widgets gain considerable popularity owing to the fact that they tap into Windows Phone’s ability to let apps change wallpapers automatically. wallpapr is another similar app, but has the distinction of pulling photos from Flickr to let users enjoy some high quality backgrounds on their lock screen. The app is capable of automatically changing wallpapers with the passage of time, but it also comes with an image browser of its own that can be used to manually pick photos that you think should grace your WP8.

wallpapr WP8 wallpapr WP8 Settings wallpapr WP8 Choice
wallpapr is an amazingly simple app, and carries out all its business through just one screen. On this main screen, there are a few instructions to help you get started when wallpapr is launched for the first time. There is not much to learn, as you get a stream of photos, along with a handful of options in the bottom bar. By default, wallpapr automatically changes lock screen backgrounds after every few minutes. You have to allow the app access to your lock screen, but unlike other WP8 wallpaper apps, wallpapr does not ask its users to manually grant permission by heading to the Settings app and tinkering with the Lock Screen app.
 
The image stream in wallpapr is infinite, and keeps coming up with new images every time you refresh it. Things could have been even better though, had it been possible to see a photo’s title and other details from within the app as well.
While the dynamic lock screen mode in wallpapr is good enough, there is also the possibility of manually selecting a photo if you really like it during your browsing session on the app. Simply long-press the photo until the ‘Set as background’ options shows up. Do note, however, that setting a wallpaper this way disables the dynamic mode, which has to be re-enabled using the ‘Auto wallpaper status’ option from the bottom bar if you want it back at a later time.
wallpapr is available free of charge, as you would expect from such a simple app. The wallpaper quality is pretty great in our experience, and you should definitely give the app a try despite its rather basic interface.
Install wallpapr from Windows Phone Store