Summary
- Google’s Pixel partnership with Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC has led to exclusive team wallpapers with the launch of the Pixel 9.
- The new collections feature team-centric wallpapers, but may exclude fans of other teams/sports or appear as an ad to non-fans.
- Users have suggested creating a more diverse sports-themed collection to cater to a wider audience.
Google’s Pixel series, despite not having the first-movers advantage in the world of smartphones, is slowly but surely capturing more market share. While hardware and software prowess have played a huge role, Google’s status as a tech giant shouldn’t be shrugged off as one of the primary reasons for Pixel’s success.
We already know that the Mountain View, California-based tech giant plans to grow Pixel with pop culture ads and sponsorships, including the likes of strategic partnerships with sports teams.
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In 2023, Pixel became the “Official Mobile Phone” of the of the England Teams, Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC. As a byproduct, we’re now getting wallpaper collections for the two Premier League teams, as spotted by 9to5Google. You can access these collections on any Pixel by long-pressing an empty space on your home screen, then going to Wallpaper & style → More wallpapers.
Each collection features eight wallpapers, and all of them have the caption “Google Pixel, proud partner of Arsenal FC” or “Google Pixel, proud partner of Liverpool FC.”
Liverpool collection
- Núñez
- Virgil
- Red Reign
- Shades of Red
- This is Anfield
- You’ll Never Walk Alone
- Anfield Awaits
- Fortress Anfield
Arsenal collection
- Gunners’ Night
- A Night at the Arsenal
- Gunners’ Eclipse
- Arsenal Men
- Arsenal Women
- Home of the Gunners
- Arsenal Revolution
- Arsenal’s Heart
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At the moment, Pixel’s built-in wallpapers contain 17 distinct collections, two of which are the new Liverpool/Arsenal ones. Although the new collections feature some neat wallpapers, considering Google’s commercial relationship with the two teams, the placement seems more like an overt ad operation that promotes the two clubs to Pixel users over the 18 other top Premier League teams.
To users who are not a fan of either of the two teams, or fans of football altogether, the new wallpapers are as good as irrelevant, and a potential alternative could be to create a more inclusive sports-themed collection with multiple sports and teams. This would allow users to choose from a much wider variety of sports-focused wallpapers, all while allowing Google to highlight its partnerships within the collection.
