Changing the cover photo on your iPhone, also known as your wallpaper, is a simple yet impactful way to personalize your device. Whether you want to showcase a cherished memory, reflect your current mood, or simply refresh your screen’s aesthetics, iOS offers a range of customization options. This guide will walk you through the steps to change your iPhone cover photo on both the Lock Screen and Home Screen, ensuring you can tailor your device to your unique style.
Setting a New Wallpaper on Your iPhone
iOS makes it straightforward to update your wallpaper. You can select from Apple’s curated collection, use your own photos, or even opt for dynamic wallpapers that change throughout the day. Here’s how to get started:
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Open Settings: Begin by locating and tapping the “Settings” app icon on your Home Screen.
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Navigate to Wallpaper: Scroll down within the Settings menu and tap on “Wallpaper”. This section is dedicated to managing your iPhone’s backgrounds.
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Add New Wallpaper: Tap on the “Add New Wallpaper” option. This action will take you to the wallpaper selection screen.
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Choose Your Wallpaper Source: You’ll see various options for selecting your new wallpaper:
- Photos: Access your photo library to choose a personal image. You can select from “All Photos,” “People,” or browse your albums.
- Photo Shuffle: Set up a rotating selection of photos from your library that will change periodically throughout the day or each time you lock your iPhone.
- Live Photo: Use a Live Photo from your collection, adding a touch of motion to your wallpaper when you touch and hold the screen.
- Categories: Explore pre-designed wallpapers in categories like “Weather & Astronomy” (dynamic wallpapers that change with weather conditions and time of day), “Emoji,” or solid “Color” backgrounds.
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Customize (Optional): After selecting a wallpaper, you can further customize it before applying it. Tap “Customize” to adjust aspects like filters, widgets for the Lock Screen, and font styles for the time display.
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Apply Your New Wallpaper: Once you’re satisfied with your selection and customizations, tap “Add” in the top right corner.
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Set Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen: You’ll be prompted to choose between “Set as Wallpaper Pair,” which applies the chosen wallpaper to both your Lock Screen and Home Screen, or “Customize Home Screen.” Choosing the latter allows you to select a different wallpaper for your Home Screen and even edit its appearance independently (e.g., apply a blur effect).
Delete a wallpaper on your iPhone in iOS 16 or later if you need to manage your wallpaper collection.
Quickly Change Wallpaper from the Lock Screen
For even faster wallpaper changes, iOS offers a convenient method directly from the Lock Screen:
- Access Wallpaper Gallery: On your Lock Screen, press and hold on the screen in an area without widgets or notifications. After a moment, the wallpaper gallery will appear.
- Browse or Add: Swipe left or right to scroll through your existing saved wallpapers and select one. To set up a completely new wallpaper, tap the “+” button located to the far left in the gallery. This will lead you to the same wallpaper selection interface as described in the “Setting a New Wallpaper” section above.
Accessing the iPhone Lock Screen Wallpaper Gallery: View options to link wallpapers with Focus modes and customize your iPhone cover photo.
From this Lock Screen wallpaper gallery, you also have quick access to other customization options:
- Focus Modes: Tap the “Focus” button to link a specific wallpaper to a Focus mode. This is a great way to visually differentiate your iPhone’s appearance based on your current activity (e.g., Work Focus, Personal Focus). Learn more about linking Focus modes to wallpapers.
- Customize Existing Wallpapers: Tap the “Customize” button below a wallpaper in the gallery to adjust its widgets, style, and more, as detailed in the next section.
- Delete Wallpapers: To remove a wallpaper from your collection, swipe up on it in the gallery and tap the trash can icon.
If Face ID fails to recognize you in the Lock Screen wallpaper gallery, simply touch and hold the screen again and enter your passcode to proceed.
Deep Dive into Lock Screen Wallpaper Customization
iOS provides rich customization options to make your Lock Screen wallpaper truly your own. Here’s how to personalize it further:
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Enter Customization Mode: There are two ways to enter the customization mode:
- Through Settings: Go to “Settings” > “Wallpaper”. Under the Lock Screen preview, tap “Customize”.
- From Lock Screen Gallery: Access the Lock Screen wallpaper gallery (as described above) and tap “Customize” below the wallpaper you wish to edit.
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Widget Adjustments:
- Add Widgets: Tap on the boxes located above and below the time display to add widgets. You can choose from a variety of widgets displaying information from apps like Calendar, Clock, Weather, Fitness, Reminders, and more.
- Remove Widgets: To remove a widget, simply tap on it and then tap the minus button.
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Time Font and Color: Tap on the time display itself to change the font style and color of the time on your Lock Screen. Choose a style that complements your wallpaper and personal taste.
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Photo Styles and Filters: Swipe left and right directly on the wallpaper image to preview different photo styles and filters.
- More Options: Tap the “More” button (usually represented by three dots or a similar icon) for additional photo wallpaper options. This may include features like “Depth Effect,” which creates a layered look by placing the subject of your photo in front of the time and widgets.*
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Image Cropping and Positioning: Use pinch and zoom gestures to crop your photo and drag to reposition it within the wallpaper frame until it looks just right.
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Lock Screen Controls (iOS 18 and later): In iOS 18 and later versions, you can customize the controls that appear at the bottom of your Lock Screen (e.g., Flashlight, Camera).
- Change Controls: Tap the minus button on your current controls to remove them. Then, tap the plus button to view available controls and select new ones. This allows for quick access to frequently used features like “Ping My Watch” or “Quick Note.”
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Wallpaper Options:
- Depth Effect: Toggle the “Depth Effect” button to enable or disable this feature for compatible photos. Note that Depth Effect may not be available for wallpapers with widgets.* Learn more about Lock Screen wallpaper customization in iOS 16 and later.
- Dark Mode: Use the “Dark Mode” button to set your wallpaper’s appearance to automatically switch between Light and Dark modes based on your system settings, or choose to always display it in Light or Dark mode.
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Save Your Customizations: Once you’ve made all your desired adjustments, tap “Done” in the top right corner to save your customized Lock Screen wallpaper.
Set a Live Photo as your Lock Screen wallpaper in iOS 17 and later for an animated Lock Screen.
* Depth Effect is not compatible with wallpapers that have widgets.
Creating a Photo Shuffle Wallpaper for Dynamic Lock Screens
For a constantly changing Lock Screen experience, consider using the Photo Shuffle feature:
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Navigate to Wallpaper Settings: Go to “Settings” > “Wallpaper” and tap “Add New Wallpaper.”
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Select Photo Shuffle: Choose “Photo Shuffle” from the top row of wallpaper options.
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Set Shuffle Frequency: On the Photo Shuffle screen, choose how often you want your wallpaper to change:
- On Tap: Change the wallpaper each time you tap the Lock Screen.
- On Lock: Change the wallpaper every time you lock and unlock your iPhone.
- Hourly: Wallpaper changes every hour.
- Daily: Get a new wallpaper each day.
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Choose Photos to Shuffle: Select the set of photos you want to include in the shuffle. You can choose “People,” “Pets,” “Places,” or manually select albums. iOS may also offer smart suggestions based on your photo library.
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Finalize and Add: After setting the frequency and choosing your photos, tap “Done” to activate your Photo Shuffle wallpaper.
With these comprehensive steps, you can effortlessly change and customize your iPhone cover photo to perfectly reflect your personal style and preferences. Enjoy experimenting with different photos, widgets, and styles to make your iPhone truly unique!
