Personalizing your iPhone is a great way to make it feel truly yours, and one of the easiest ways to start is to change your iPhone wallpaper. You can use your own photos or choose from a wide range of Apple’s built-in designs to give your lock screen and home screen a fresh look and feel.
To change the background on an iPhone, you can follow several methods to add, customize, or delete wallpapers on your device using the Settings app, the lock screen, or the Photos app. Here, we will explore the different approaches available.
One way to add a new wallpaper is by using the Settings app. To do this, open the Settings app and tap Wallpaper, which is located under the Accessibility section. Then, select the + Add New Wallpaper button. You can choose a photo for your new wallpaper by tapping Photos to use a single picture from your library, tapping Photo Shuffle to create a rotating series of images, or selecting from Apple’s categories, such as Featured, Weather & Astronomy, Kaleidoscope, Emoji, Unity, Pride, Collections, or Color. After choosing your wallpaper, you can customize it by adding widgets, setting styles, and applying filters. Once you are satisfied with your selection and customizations, tap Add in the top-right corner. You can then tap Set as Wallpaper Pair to use it for both the lock and home screens or tap Customize Home Screen to pick another photo for your home screen.
Alternatively, you can change your wallpaper directly from the lock screen. To do this, unlock your iPhone but remain on the lock screen, and then long-press anywhere on the lock screen until the Edit menu appears. Tap Customize, and the view will show your lock screen on the left and your home screen on the right. From here, you can customize your wallpaper by adding widgets, applying filters, or changing styles.
To further customize your wallpaper, you can access the wallpaper customization screen by either long-pressing the lock screen and tapping Customize or by going to Settings > Wallpaper > Customize. To add widgets, tap the widget box on the lock screen and choose from the available options. To add a filter, swipe left or right to switch between Natural, Black & White, Duotone, or Color Wash. For Duotone or Color Wash, you can tap the color bubble to pick a specific style. To change the font style, tap the time at the top, and you can then choose a font preset, adjust the size with the slider, and pick a new color. Once you have made your desired changes, tap Done in the top corner to save your changes.
If you wish to delete a wallpaper from your collection, you can do so by waking your iPhone to view the lock screen, long-pressing on the screen until the wallpaper tiles and the Customize button appear, swiping left or right to find the wallpaper you wish to remove, swiping the wallpaper tile upward to reveal a red trash-can icon, tapping the trash-can icon, and confirming your choice by tapping Delete This Wallpaper.
Another method to set a wallpaper is directly from the Photos app. To do this, open the Photos app and navigate to the image you want to use. Tap the Share button, which looks like a box with an arrow pointing up, scroll down, and select the Use as Wallpaper option. You can then customize the wallpaper as desired and tap Add to set it.
A pro tip for personalizing your iPhone is to use the Photo Shuffle feature to automatically rotate your lock screen wallpaper throughout the day. You can select a specific album, people, or categories like pets and nature for a dynamic and personal experience.
Customizing your iPhone’s background is more than just a cosmetic change; it’s a way to make your device uniquely yours. A photo of a loved one, a favorite vacation spot, or a piece of art can bring a moment of joy every time you unlock your phone. It transforms a generic device into a personal dashboard that reflects your personality and style.
Beyond aesthetics, a well-chosen wallpaper can also improve functionality. A simple or dark background can make your app icons easier to see, reducing visual clutter. On iPhones with OLED screens, using a predominantly black wallpaper can even contribute to minor battery savings, as the black pixels are turned off. This small tweak helps in both personalizing and optimizing your daily device usage.
