Samsung's One UI 9 gives Motion Photos a new place to shine, letting supported Galaxy devices turn them into animated wallpapers for the home screen, lock screen, or both. Android Authority, citing SamMobile, reports that the feature is available on Samsung's latest foldables but has not yet appeared in the One UI 9 beta on the Galaxy S26 series.
That creates an important distinction: having One UI 9 does not necessarily mean a phone supports Motion Photo wallpapers. For now, the feature has been confirmed on only three Galaxy models.
What is Motion Photo?
Motion Photo is a Galaxy camera feature that captures a few seconds of movement around a photo instead of preserving only the instant when the shutter is pressed. Those extra frames can be useful when someone blinks, looks away, or moves at just the wrong moment.
Samsung already lets users view and edit that captured motion in the Gallery app. One UI 9 builds on that by giving Motion Photos another use: animated wallpaper.
How to use a Motion Photo as wallpaper
On a supported phone, open the Gallery app and select a picture captured with Motion Photo enabled. From there, choose the option to set the image as wallpaper and apply it to the home screen, lock screen, or both.
One UI 9 shows a preview before the wallpaper is applied. A Motion Photo control in the preview lets you turn the animation on or off without changing the image.
That way, you can keep the movement when it complements your layout or switch to the static version if the animation competes with icons, widgets, or the clock.
Which Galaxy phones support Motion Photo wallpapers?
Motion Photo wallpapers have so far been confirmed on three One UI 9 devices:
Galaxy Z Flip 8
Galaxy Z Fold 8
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
Support is less clear for the Galaxy S26 series. SamMobile did not find the wallpaper option on a Galaxy S26 Ultra running One UI 9.0 Beta 5, and the feature has not yet been confirmed across the S26 beta lineup.
Its absence from beta software does not tell us what Samsung will include in the stable S26 release. It does show, however, that One UI 9 compatibility alone should not be treated as confirmation of Motion Photo wallpaper support.
Samsung has not published a separate compatibility list for the feature or said whether it will expand to other Galaxy models.
Will more Galaxy phones get Motion Photo wallpapers?
Samsung says One UI 9 itself will gradually roll out beyond the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra. Its official One UI 9 overview also highlights other wallpaper customization changes, including automatic positioning designed to keep important parts of a cover-screen image clear of clocks and widgets.
A broader One UI 9 rollout, however, does not mean every compatible phone will receive every feature. Samsung's current One UI materials do not list Motion Photo wallpapers as universally available across Galaxy devices.
For now, the answer remains narrow but clear: the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are the only models on which Motion Photo wallpapers have been confirmed. Until Samsung expands support or publishes a dedicated compatibility list, owners of other Galaxy phones will need to wait for model-specific confirmation.
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