Free Live Wallpapers for iPhone: Get and Set Them

Apple includes free live wallpapers in iOS — open Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Live Photos or Weather & Astronomy. For a live wallpaper from your own photo, Lockimate gives you the first one free.

Both options produce native Apple Live Photos that animate on raise-to-wake without third-party apps or workarounds. For every method side by side, see how to get a live wallpaper on iPhone.

Apple's Free Built-In Live Wallpapers

iOS 16 introduced a curated library of live wallpapers available on every supported iPhone at no cost. The collection includes:

Live Photos category: ~15 animated nature and abstract images (flowers, water, light effects)
Weather & Astronomy: 6 dynamic scenes that update based on your local weather — Sunrise, Sunset, Clear Day, Clear Night, Rain, and Snow
Depth Effect: Not a Live Photo, but adds parallax motion to still images

How to set them:

Open Settings → Wallpaper
Tap Add New Wallpaper
Tap Live Photos or Weather & Astronomy
Select an image — the animation previews automatically
Tap Add → choose Lock Screen or Both
Done — no further setup needed

These wallpapers are stored on-device and work offline. They require iOS 16 and an iPhone XS or newer. The Weather & Astronomy option pulls local weather data and requires Location Services to be enabled for accurate scenes.

What's not included: You cannot add your own photos to Apple's live wallpaper system. Apple's built-in tools have no option to animate a photo from your camera roll.

Apple's presets won't touch your camera roll — Lockimate will. Animate any photo you own into a live wallpaper, first generation free.

Animate my own photo

Lockimate: First Live Wallpaper Free From Your Own Photo

Lockimate generates a live wallpaper from any photo in your library using AI. The first wallpaper is free, no account required.

What the free tier includes:

1 animated wallpaper
All 4 animation vibes: Warm, Playful, Cinematic, Lively
Realistic art style
Full 1290 × 2796 output resolution (iPhone 14 Pro native)
Native Live Photo output (.heic + .mov)

How to use it:

Download Lockimate (free on the App Store)
Tap Choose Photo → select any photo
Pick a vibe → tap Generate
Tap Save to Camera Roll
Set as lock screen via Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Photos

Processing takes 30–60 seconds. The saved file is a real Live Photo — iOS treats it exactly like a photo taken with the camera's Live Photo mode.

After your first free wallpaper, Pro is required for additional generations. Pro costs $3.99/month or a one-time purchase, and unlocks unlimited generations plus Anime, 3D Cartoon, and Painterly art styles.

Free Wallpaper Apps With Pre-Made Live Photos

Several apps distribute pre-made Live Photo wallpapers for free, funded by ads or optional subscriptions. For a fuller roundup, see the best free wallpaper apps for iPhone:

Vellum (free with optional $2.99/year Pro): Curated library of several hundred high-quality Live Photos and Depth Effect wallpapers. Free tier shows ads; Pro removes them and unlocks the full library.

Walli (free with optional subscription): Artist-submitted wallpapers including some Live Photos. Quality is variable — check for the Live Photo badge before downloading, as many entries are still images.

Live Wallpapers HD (free with in-app purchases): Large library, but many items labeled "live" are video loops rather than native Live Photos. Video loops cannot be set as native lock screen wallpapers on iOS without workarounds.

How to tell a real Live Photo from a video loop:

After saving to Camera Roll, open Photos and look for the "Live" badge in the top-left corner
If the badge says "Live" the file is a native Live Photo
If there's no badge, or if the file was saved to your Files app rather than Photos, it's likely a video

Quality Differences Between Free Sources

Source	What You Get	Restrictions	Visual Quality
Apple presets	~20 curated live wallpapers	Apple's selection only, no custom photos	High — professionally shot
Lockimate free tier	1 AI-animated wallpaper from your photo	1 free; Pro required after	High — native resolution, realistic motion
Vellum free tier	Subset of library, ads shown	Limited selection without Pro	High — curated
Walli free	Artist wallpapers, mix of still + live	Variable	Medium — depends on artist
Live Wallpapers HD free	Large library, mix of formats	Many are video loops, not Live Photos	Low to medium

Apple's built-in wallpapers are the highest-quality free option if you're happy with their selection. Lockimate is the best free option if you want to animate a specific photo of your own. For browsing premade content without generating anything, Vellum's free tier is the most consistently high quality.

How to Set Any Free Live Wallpaper on Your Lock Screen

The process is the same regardless of source, as long as the file was saved as a native Live Photo:

Open Settings → Wallpaper
Tap Add New Wallpaper
Tap Photos
Find your Live Photo (filter by Live Photos using the media type filter)
Tap the Live badge in the top-left corner of the preview to confirm motion is enabled — it highlights blue when active
Tap Add → Set as Lock Screen (or Both)

If you don't tap the Live badge in step 5, the wallpaper is set as a still image with no animation. For the detailed version of this step, see how to set a Live Photo as your lock screen.

FAQ

Are Apple's live wallpapers really free?

Yes. All of Apple's built-in live wallpaper presets — including the Weather & Astronomy dynamic wallpapers — are included with iOS 16 and cost nothing. No subscription or in-app purchase is required. They are available on every iPhone XS or newer updated to iOS 16+.

How many free live wallpapers does Lockimate give me?

Lockimate gives you exactly 1 free animated wallpaper. There's no time limit on when you use it — you can download the app, wait, and use your free generation whenever you want. The free wallpaper uses the Realistic art style at full resolution. Pro unlocks unlimited generations at $3.99/month.

Can I get free live wallpapers on iPhone 8 or iPhone X?

No. Live Photo wallpapers require iPhone XS (2018) or newer running iOS 16. iPhone 8 and iPhone X do not support live wallpapers regardless of iOS version. If you're on an older device, the closest option is a video wallpaper app, but these use non-native methods and have significant limitations.

Why does my free live wallpaper not move?

Two likely causes: (1) You're trying to view it on the Home Screen — Live Photos only animate on the Lock Screen in iOS. (2) Low Power Mode is active — iOS disables live wallpaper animation to save battery. Check Settings → Battery → Low Power Mode and turn it off.