Wallpaper Blur

Why is there no built-in option to blur the wallpaper?

Unfortunately, Android does not offer a proper wallpaper blurring mechanism for launchers. While Android 12 introduced general blur support in Android, this only works with content within an app, and cannot be applied to the system wallpaper, which is part of a different drawing layer. We could implement a custom solution that would draw a wallpaper directly in Niagara Launcher, but this comes with its own limitations: to access the system wallpaper, Niagara Launcher would need file access, and the workaround wouldn't even work on the lock screen or recents screen, and wouldn't support live wallpapers.

Instead, we opted for a subtle tint effect behind the app list to increase readability without needing to blur the wallpaper.

Are there any alternatives?

Yes, if the tint behind the app list isn't enough for you, you can utilize various third-party apps to blur the wallpaper. We recommend using either Blur Wallpaper or Muzei Live Wallpaper. You can even go one step further and set up contextual blurring with an app called KLWP. You can, for instance, blur the wallpaper based on which screen you're on and only blur it when you're in the app list or Niagara app search. To configure this, you can follow our example Blur Wallpaper and Hide Components in the App List in our KLWP Integration article.