Skip to Content

iOS 16: How to Style Your iPhone's Lock Screen Picture

by

In iOS 16, Apple has added multiple options to customize the iPhone Lock Screen, including the ability to apply different styles or "looks" to your chosen wallpaper picture. This article explains how it's done.

ios 16 lock screen customization
With the Lock Screen in iOS 16, Apple set out to give iPhone users the ability to create something that looks slick like a magazine cover, but in a way that's simple and fun to make.

To achieve this, iOS 16 uses machine learning to analyze Lock Screen pictures, and provides you with a selection of "looks" to choose from. However, the end result is more compelling than just laying a filter over a photo, as looks are intelligently generated specifically to style the chosen picture.

The following steps guide you through the process of choosing and applying a look to a new photo-based Lock Screen in iOS 16.

  1. Unlock your iPhone with Face ID or Touch ID, then press and hold the Lock Screen.
  2. Tap the blue + button, or swipe leftwards all the way to the end and then tap Add New.
  3. Tap the Photos button in the top row of options.
  4. Choose a picture from your Photos library to use.
    Lock Screen

  5. Swipe left and right in the Lock Screen editor to preview the auto-generated looks that are available for this picture.
  6. When you've settled on the look you want, tap Done.
  7. Tap the Lock Screen you just created to activate it.
    Lock Screen

Note that you can customize the current Lock Screen at any time by invoking the gallery view from the Lock Screen with a long press, or by going into Settings -> Wallpaper & Lock Screens.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Released Seven New Products Today

Wednesday March 11, 2026 7:05 am PDT by
Starting today, the seven new Apple products that were announced last week are available at Apple Stores and beginning to arrive to customers. The colorful MacBook Neo and all of the other new products are on display at most Apple Store locations around the world starting today. Apple Stores have inventory of the new products for both walk-in customers and Apple Store pickup, but...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

10+ New Features Coming in iOS 27

Friday March 13, 2026 2:13 pm PDT by
We're only three months away from Apple's WWDC 2026 event, which will see the company unveil iOS 27. With the fully revamped version of Siri possibly delayed until September, iOS 27 is shaping up to be the update we wanted iOS 26 to be. There will be new Apple Intelligence features, updates for the iPhone Fold, and more, with the latest rumors summarized below. Foldable iPhone Features...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Be Like Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Sunday March 15, 2026 9:42 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that iOS 27 will be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that one of Apple's biggest priorities is bug fixes for improved performance and stability. At WWDC 2008, Apple showed a presentation that said Mac OS X Snow Leopard had "0 new features," as it opted to focus on performance and stability...