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

Personalizing your iPhone is one of the first things many users love to do, and changing your wallpaper is a simple yet impactful way to make your device feel truly yours. Whether you want to showcase a cherished memory, set a visually appealing scene, or simply refresh your phone’s look, changing the background photo on your iPhone is easy and offers a variety of customization options. This guide will walk you through the steps on how to change the background of photo on iPhone, ensuring you can perfectly tailor both your Lock Screen and Home Screen to your liking.

Setting a New Wallpaper Through the Settings App

The most straightforward method to change your iPhone background is through the Settings app. This method allows you to choose from Apple’s suggested wallpapers, your personal photos, or even dynamic options like Photo Shuffle.

1. Open Settings: Locate and tap the “Settings” app icon on your Home Screen. It’s usually represented by a grey gear symbol.

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

3. Add New Wallpaper: Tap on the “Add New Wallpaper” option. This will take you to a gallery where you can choose your new background.

4. Choose Your Wallpaper Type: You’ll see various options to select your wallpaper source:

   • Photos: Access your photo library to choose any image you’ve taken or saved on your iPhone.
   • People, Pets, Nature, Cities: Intelligent photo suggestions curated by iOS based on image content in your library.
   • Photo Shuffle: Set up a rotating set of photos that change periodically throughout the day.
   • Live Photo: Use a Live Photo from your collection, which animates when you touch and hold the Lock Screen.
   • Collections: Explore pre-designed wallpapers from categories like “Weather & Astronomy,” “Emoji,” or solid “Color” backgrounds.

   When you view your wallpaper options, you can link a wallpaper with a specific Focus setting.

5. Customize Your Selection: After choosing a photo or wallpaper type, you can further customize it. You can swipe to apply different filters, adjust the crop, or enable features like Perspective Zoom. For Lock Screens, you can also add widgets to display information at a glance. Tap “Add” once you are satisfied with your customization.

6. Set as Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen: You’ll be prompted to “Set as Wallpaper Pair” to apply the chosen background to both your Lock Screen and Home Screen, or “Customize Home Screen” to set a different background for your Home Screen. If you choose to customize the Home Screen separately, you can select a different image, choose a solid color, or even apply a blur effect to keep your app icons legible.

Quickly Change Wallpaper from the Lock Screen

For even faster access, you can change your wallpaper directly from the Lock Screen. This is particularly useful when you want to switch between different looks quickly.

1. Access Wallpaper Gallery: On your Lock Screen, firmly touch and hold the screen in an empty area. After a moment, the screen will zoom out, revealing your wallpaper gallery.
2. Browse and Select: Swipe left or right through your existing wallpapers to choose one you’ve already created.
3. Add New Wallpaper (Optional): To set a completely new wallpaper, swipe to the far right and tap the “Add” button (+). This will take you to the same wallpaper selection interface as in the Settings app, allowing you to choose and customize a new background.

From this Lock Screen gallery, you can also customize your current wallpapers by tapping the “Customize” button at the bottom, link wallpapers to specific Focus modes for contextual backgrounds, or delete wallpapers by swiping up and tapping the trash icon.

Personalizing Your Lock Screen with Widgets and Styles

iOS offers rich customization options for your Lock Screen wallpaper, going beyond just changing the background photo. You can add widgets, adjust fonts, and apply styles to create a truly personalized experience.

1. Enter Customization Mode: Go to “Settings” > “Wallpaper” and tap “Customize” below the Lock Screen preview, or long-press on the Lock Screen and tap “Customize”.
2. Customize Widgets: Tap on the boxes above and below the time to add or remove widgets. You can choose from a variety of widgets displaying information like Calendar events, Weather, Fitness stats, Reminders, and more.
3. Adjust Time Font and Color: Tap on the time display to change the font style and color to match your wallpaper and personal preference.
4. Explore Photo Styles: Swipe left and right on your wallpaper image to try different photo styles like “Black & White,” “Duotone,” or “Color Wash.” Tap the “More” button (three dots icon) for additional options, including “Depth Effect,” which creates a layered look by placing the subject of your photo in front of the time and widgets.*
5. Crop and Position: Pinch and drag your photo to perfectly crop and position it within the wallpaper frame.
6. Add Lock Screen Controls (iOS 18 and later): In iOS 18 and later versions, you can customize controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen for quick access to features like Flashlight, Camera, or actions like starting a Quick Note. Tap the minus button to remove current controls and the plus button to add new ones.
7. Wallpaper Options: Tap the “Depth Effect” button to toggle this feature on or off. Use the “Dark Mode” button to set your wallpaper to automatically switch between light and dark appearances based on your system settings or to always appear in light or dark mode.
8. Save Changes: Once you’ve finished customizing, tap “Done” in the top right corner to save your new Lock Screen wallpaper.

* Depth Effect may not be available for wallpapers with widgets or certain types of images.

Creating Dynamic Wallpapers with Photo Shuffle

For a constantly refreshing look, the Photo Shuffle feature is an excellent choice. It automatically rotates through a selection of your photos as your wallpaper, keeping things interesting every time you use your iPhone.

1. Set Up Photo Shuffle: In “Settings,” go to “Wallpaper” and tap “Add New Wallpaper.”
2. Select Photo Shuffle: Choose “Photo Shuffle” from the top row of wallpaper options.
3. Set Shuffle Frequency: Choose how often you want your wallpaper to change: “On Tap,” “On Lock,” “Hourly,” or “Daily.”
4. Choose Photos to Shuffle: Select the albums or manually pick the photos you want to include in your Photo Shuffle. You can choose specific albums, people, or even let iOS intelligently suggest photos.
5. Complete Setup: Tap “Done” to activate Photo Shuffle with your chosen settings.

Changing the background of your photo on iPhone is a fun and easy way to personalize your device. With these comprehensive steps, you can now effortlessly customize both your Lock Screen and Home Screen to reflect your style and preferences. Enjoy experimenting with different photos, styles, and widgets to create the perfect iPhone visual experience.