Set Different Wallpapers on iPhone Lock Screen and Home Screen - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Set Different Wallpapers on iPhone Lock Screen and Home Screen

by

On iPhone and iPad Lock Screens, you can change the font and style of the clock, add widgets, and apply dynamic weather and astronomy wallpapers. What some users might not know is that you can also set a completely different Home Screen wallpaper to the one that appears on the Lock Screen. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

ios different wallpapers
When you customize the Lock Screen for the first time, you'll notice that your device suggests you use the same wallpaper for the ‌Home Screen‌. This is because Apple applies dynamic transitions to some wallpapers when switching from the Lock Screen to the ‌Home Screen‌ if the backgrounds are the same.
set wallpaper pair
If you originally went with the suggestion to "Set as Wallpaper Pair" when creating your Lock Screen, you may have since decided you want to have a different ‌Home Screen‌ background. The following steps show you how.

  1. Unlock your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ with Face ID or Touch ID, then press and hold on the screen until the wallpaper gallery appears.
  2. Swipe to a previously customized wallpaper, then tap Customize.
  3. Choose the Home Screen option.
    Lock Screen

  4. Double tap the Color and Gradient buttons to access color swatches for the background, or tap the Photos button to select another image.
  5. If you selected a new image, you can swipe to preview filters, Pinch to Crop the image, and tap the ellipsis button to apply the Depth effect option as desired.
  6. Tap Done in the top-right corner. Note that you can also Blur the image if you want.
  7. Tap Done again on the editing screen to finish and save your selection.
    Lock Screen

Note that you can customize the current Lock Screen and ‌Home Screen‌ selection at any time: Simply invoke the gallery view from the Lock Screen with a long press, tap Customize, then select Lock Screen or Home Screen. Alternatively, you can edit wallpaper pairs by going into Settings -> Wallpaper and swiping between wallpapers in your gallery and customizing them.

Popular Stories

General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 With End-to-End Encrypted RCS, New Wallpaper, and Maps Updates

Monday May 11, 2026 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, the newest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems. The software comes nearly two months after Apple released iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 15.8.8, iOS 16.7.16, iOS 18.7.9, and...