How to Change the Background on an iPhone: Complete Guide

Adding a New Wallpaper

Open the Settings iPhone Settings App Icon. This is the cog icon. Make sure to update your iPhone to get all the latest wallpaper customization options.

Tap Wallpaper. You can find this underneath Accessibility.

Tap + Add New Wallpaper. This is the blue button.

Select a photo for your wallpaper. With the new iOS update, you have quite a few options to choose from. When you select an option, a preview will open. Tap Photos to set a single photo as your wallpaper. Tap Photo Shuffle to set a series of photos as your wallpaper. You can also select a wallpaper from the categories below: Featured, Weather & Astronomy, Kaleidoscope, Emoji, Unity, Pride, Collections, and Color.

Customize your wallpaper. You can add add widgets, set styles, and use filters.

Tap Add. This is in the top-right corner.

Tap Set as Wallpaper Pair. If you want your home screen and lock screen to have different backgrounds, tap Customize Home Screen instead and select a new photo.

Changing from the Lock Screen

Unlock your iPhone. Enter your passcode, Face ID, or touch ID. Your iPhone must be unlocked to edit the lock and home screen. Stay on the lock screen; don't swipe up just yet.

Long-press on the lock screen. When your iPhone is unlocked, this will open the Edit menu. If you have more than one wallpaper added, swipe left or right to find it.

Tap Customize. This is below the wallpaper you want to customize. The Customize view will open with the current lock screen on the left and the home screen on the right. If you want to set a new wallpaper, tap the blue + icon.

Customize your wallpaper. You can add add widgets, set styles, and use filters. You won't be able to edit the wallpaper for some premade selections. In this case, delete the wallpaper and add a new one. Long-press on your lock screen and swipe up on the background. Tap the trash can icon, then tap Delete This Wallpaper.

Adding Widgets and Styles

Go to your wallpaper's customization screen. You can do this by long-pressing the lock screen (unlocked) and tapping Customize. You can also go to Settings → Wallpaper → Customize.

Add widgets. On the lock screen, this can be found below the time. Tapping it will bring up all possible widgets you can add. Tap a widget to add it to the widget box. Keep in mind you can only add what fits in the box. This can be four small-sized widgets, 1 medium-sized and 2 small-sized, or another combination of widgets. You can also add certain widgets to the date line. Tap the date, and then tap a widget. On the home screen, long-press the wallpaper until the icons wiggle. Tap the + in the top-left corner to open the widget menu. Tap a widget to add it to your home screen.

Add a filter. Swipe left and right to select between the filters. You can choose Natural, Black & White, Duotone, or Color Wash. If you choose Duotone or Color Wash, tap the color bubble in the bottom-right corner and select a style color.

Add a font style. Tap the time at the top of the screen. A pop-up window will open. Select a font style from the preset. You can tap and drag towards the left to see more options. Drag the slider to change your font size. Select a color style at the bottom to change the font color.

Tap Done. This will save your changes.