How to Change Background Photo on Your iPhone: A Complete Guide

Personalizing your iPhone starts with the background photo, also known as wallpaper. It’s the first thing you see when you pick up your device, and a fresh background can instantly refresh your phone’s look and feel. Whether you want to use a personal photo, a pre-designed image, or even a dynamic wallpaper, iOS offers a range of options to customize your Lock Screen and Home Screen. This guide will walk you through every method to change your background photo on your iPhone, ensuring you can perfectly tailor your device to your style.

Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your iPhone Background Photo

There are several ways to change the background photo on your iPhone, offering flexibility and convenience. Let’s explore each method in detail:

Method 1: Changing Wallpaper Through the Settings App

This is the most straightforward method to access and modify your iPhone’s background.

1. Open the Settings App: Locate and tap the Settings app icon on your Home Screen. It’s usually represented by a gray gear icon.

2. Navigate to Wallpaper: Scroll down in the Settings menu and tap on “Wallpaper”. This section is dedicated to managing your iPhone backgrounds.

3. Add New Wallpaper: Tap on “Add New Wallpaper”. This will take you to the wallpaper selection screen where you can choose from various sources.

4. Choose Your Wallpaper Source: You have multiple options to select your new background photo:

   • Photos: Access your photo library to choose a personal picture.
   • People: Quickly select photos featuring people from your library.
   • Photo Shuffle: Set up a rotating selection of photos that change periodically.
   • Live Photo: Use a Live Photo for a dynamic background.
   • Categories: Explore pre-designed wallpapers from categories like:
     • Weather & Astronomy: Dynamic wallpapers that reflect current weather or astronomical conditions.
     • Emoji: Fun and expressive emoji-themed backgrounds.
     • Color: Simple, solid color backgrounds.

5. Customize Your Wallpaper (Optional): After selecting a wallpaper, you can further customize it before applying. Tap “Customize” to adjust:

   • Filters: Apply different filters to alter the look of your chosen photo.
   • Widgets: Add widgets to your Lock Screen for quick access to information.
   • Styles: Change the visual style of the wallpaper, such as Depth Effect.

6. Apply Your New Background Photo: Once you are satisfied with your selection and customizations, tap “Add” in the top right corner.

7. Set as Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen: You will be prompted to choose:

   • Set as Wallpaper Pair: Apply the chosen background to both your Lock Screen and Home Screen.
   • Customize Home Screen: Set a different background for your Home Screen, allowing for unique customization of each screen.

Method 2: Changing Wallpaper Directly from the Lock Screen

For a quicker way to change your background, especially if you like to switch them frequently, you can do it directly from the Lock Screen.

1. Access Wallpaper Gallery: On your Lock Screen, firmly touch and hold the screen. After a moment, the wallpaper gallery will appear, displaying your current and previously created wallpapers.

2. Browse Existing Wallpapers: Swipe left or right to navigate through your saved wallpaper options. Select one to instantly apply it.

3. Add a New Wallpaper: To set a completely new background photo, tap the “Add” button, usually represented by a plus (+) icon at the end of your wallpaper gallery.

4. Select and Customize: You will be taken to the same wallpaper selection interface as in Method 1. Choose your source, select a photo, customize if desired, and tap “Add”.

5. Apply: Choose to “Set as Wallpaper Pair” or “Customize Home Screen” as described in Method 1 to finalize your new background photo.

Customizing Your Lock Screen Wallpaper

Beyond just changing the photo, iOS offers extensive customization options for your Lock Screen wallpaper, allowing you to personalize fonts, colors, widgets, and even controls.

1. Enter Customization Mode: In the Settings app, go to “Wallpaper”. Under the preview of your current Lock Screen, tap “Customize”. Alternatively, from the Lock Screen gallery (Method 2), tap “Customize” at the bottom of a selected wallpaper.
2. Customize Time Font and Color: Tap on the time displayed on the Lock Screen preview. A selection of fonts and colors will appear at the bottom. Choose your preferred style to personalize the time display.
3. Add or Modify Widgets: Tap on the boxes above or below the time to manage widgets.
   • Adding Widgets: Tap an empty box to see available widgets categorized by app (Calendar, Clock, Weather, Fitness, Reminders, etc.). Select widgets to add them to your Lock Screen for at-a-glance information.
   • Removing Widgets: Tap a widget already on your Lock Screen and then tap the minus (-) button to remove it.
4. Explore Photo Styles: Swipe left or right on the wallpaper image itself to try different photo styles and filters like Black & White or Depth Effect.
   • More Options: Tap the “More” button (usually three dots or a “…”) for additional options like Depth Effect, which creates a layered look with the subject of your photo subtly overlapping the widgets and time. Note that Depth Effect may not be available for wallpapers with widgets.
5. Adjust and Crop Photo: Pinch and drag on your photo to crop it or reposition it within the wallpaper frame to achieve the desired composition.
6. Customize Lock Screen Controls (iOS 18 and later): In iOS 18 and later versions, you can customize controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen.
   • Remove Controls: Tap the minus (-) button on current controls to remove them.
   • Add Controls: Tap the plus (+) button to reveal available controls like Flashlight, Camera, Ping My Watch, or Quick Note. Select controls for quick access directly from your Lock Screen.
7. Wallpaper Options: Tap the “Depth Effect” button to toggle this feature on or off. Tap the “Dark Mode” button to set your wallpaper appearance to Light, Dark, or Automatic, which adjusts based on the time of day or your system-wide Dark Mode setting.
8. Save Your Customization: Once you have finished customizing your Lock Screen wallpaper, tap “Done” in the top right corner to save your changes.

Using Photo Shuffle for Dynamic Backgrounds

For those who can’t decide on just one photo, the Photo Shuffle feature is an excellent way to enjoy a rotating selection of your favorite images as your iPhone background.

1. Start Adding New Wallpaper: In the Settings app, navigate to “Wallpaper” and tap “Add New Wallpaper”.
2. Select Photo Shuffle: At the top of the options, choose “Photo Shuffle”.
3. Set Shuffle Frequency: Decide how often you want your wallpaper to change. You can choose from:
   • On Tap: Wallpaper changes each time you tap the Lock Screen.
   • On Lock: Wallpaper changes every time you lock and unlock your iPhone.
   • Hourly: Wallpaper changes every hour.
   • Daily: Wallpaper changes once a day.
4. Choose Photos for Shuffle: Select the set of photos you want to include in your shuffle. You can choose from:
   • People: Shuffle photos of specific people.
   • Nature, Pets, Cities etc.: Choose from smart suggestions based on photo content.
   • Albums: Select entire albums from your photo library.
   • Select Photos Manually: Manually pick individual photos to be included in the shuffle.
5. Finish Setup: After selecting your frequency and photos, tap “Done” to activate Photo Shuffle. Your Lock Screen will now dynamically change backgrounds based on your chosen settings.

Conclusion

Changing the background photo on your iPhone is a simple yet impactful way to personalize your device. Whether you opt for a static image, a dynamic wallpaper, or a rotating set of photos, iOS provides all the tools you need to create a visually appealing and uniquely yours iPhone experience. Experiment with different photos, customizations, and features like Photo Shuffle to keep your iPhone background fresh and engaging.