I’m excited to use ChromeOS 138’s Freeform AI wallpapers, but I’m still waiting on them

I’m a huge fan of the generative AI wallpapers that are exclusive to Chromebook Plus devices – in theory, anyway. The ability to create a unique, high-quality background based on a set of themes and prompts is a fantastic perk. But let’s be honest, as creative as the templates are, what we’ve all really wanted is a blank canvas—the ability to just type what we want and see what the AI can dream up.

When the official changelog for the ChromeOS 138 update arrived, I was thrilled to see that this exact feature was listed. Called Freeform AI Wallpapers, it promised to be the upgrade we’ve all been hoping for. The problem? The update has rolled out, but the feature is still nowhere to be found.

The promise of true AI wallpaper creation

According to the official release notes, the new Freeform AI Wallpapers feature offers an open input field that empowers users to turn their background into a personal canvas. This means moving beyond the existing templates and being able to type in a custom prompt like “a beautiful oceanside golf course” and have a high-resolution wallpaper generated just for you.

This is the true promise of generative AI for personalization, and I’m incredibly excited to get my hands on it. The announcement also mentioned an “Inspire me” feature that will generate random prompts, which is a great touch for those moments when you’re not sure what you want.

Another feature in waiting

Unfortunately, the somewhat familiar pattern of new features arriving weeks later than expected continues. Much like the “Select-to-search” feature we were waiting for until this latest update, Freeform AI Wallpapers were announced as part of the ChromeOS 138 update, but it seems to be on its own server-side rollout timeline. I’ve been checking my Wallpaper & Style settings on multiple Chromebook Plus devices daily since the update, and the new open text field has yet to appear.

It’s a bit of a bummer, but I do understand the nature of staggered roll-outs; it’s just that the wait for some of these new AI tools has been a bit deflating along the way.

I have no doubt that Freeform AI Wallpapers will show up soon, and I’m still just as excited to try it when it does. The ability to create completely custom, high-quality wallpapers right inside ChromeOS is going to be awesome. For now, however, it’s another great feature that we just have to be patient for.