Even though the tiled nature of Windows Phone serves as a quirk, it’s also a hindrance to those who like their traditional wallpapers. Recognizing this, Microsoft has come through with a compromise in Windows Phone 8.1, allowing wallpapers to be spread across tiles in a neat, mosaic fashion. But there is still a conflict of interests between tiles and wallpapers thanks to fixed-color tiles, and with everything appearing a little too busy and cluttered, one developer has decided to create an app that renders these stubborn tiles completely transparent.
The aptly-named Transparency Tiles already supports a bunch of the most common apps, with more being added all the time, and once installed, the whole home screen arrangement looks a great deal more proper and correct.
Given the “Metro” tiles of the Windows 8-and-up software line, having a traditional wallpaper was always going to be a tricky task, but to its credit, Microsoft has sought to work around the issue and offer this new, functional customization option. Transparency Tiles takes the feature and merely expands it, meaning that if you do wish to add a custom wallpaper without dealing with the assortment of dotted, multi-colored tiles, you can do so with minimal fuss.
Given that Windows Phone 8.1 is still at developer preview stage, it’s clear that the software maker doesn’t deem the OS completely ready for prime time consumption. With changes still being made, it’s possible that the new wallpaper feature could be refined before the end user roll-out is upon us, and with any luck, Microsoft’s design team will be looking to apps like Transparency Tiles for inspiration.
As well as allowing wallpapers to be showcased without any blemishes, Transparency Tiles is also ideal to have in your repertoire if you prefer to have your home screen all in one color. It looks more tidy this way, and if, like us, you prefer for interfaces to take on a uniform aesthetic, then be sure to grab this one from the Windows Phone Store.
And yes, it’s an absolutely free download, so there’s no harm in trying it out.
(Download: Transparency Tiles for Windows Phone on the Windows Phone Store)
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