iOS 26 Lock Screen: Everything New in Apple's Latest Update

iOS 26 (released September 2025) is the biggest lock screen redesign since iOS 16. The Liquid Glass aesthetic replaces frosted glass widgets with translucent layered panels, Spatial Scene wallpapers are new, and notification layout now groups by app into collapsible stacks. Every change is covered below.

What Is Liquid Glass and How It Changes the Lock Screen

Liquid Glass is Apple's new visual language in iOS 26. On the lock screen it shows up in:

• Clock — the time digits render with a glass-like depth effect, picking up color from the wallpaper behind them
• Widgets — the widget tray uses a semi-transparent panel that blurs and tints based on wallpaper brightness
• Notification stack — notifications group into a single pill at the bottom with a Liquid Glass border

The visual effect is similar to visionOS's window material — each element feels like a physical layer sitting in front of the wallpaper. This is more pronounced with Spatial Scene and Live Photo wallpapers because the background has depth or motion behind the glass.

iOS 26 vs iOS 18 Lock Screen: Feature Comparison

Feature	iOS 18	iOS 26
Clock style	Flat	Liquid Glass depth treatment
Notification layout	Individual cards	Grouped app stacks, collapsible
Spatial Scenes	Not available	Yes — generated from your own eligible photos
Live Photo support	Yes	Yes — unchanged
Always-On Display	Pro models only	Pro models only (unchanged)
Focus mode indicator	Small dot	Labeled pill (e.g., "Work Mode")
Flashlight / Camera	Bottom-left / bottom-right	Same positions

Apple did not change how Live Photo wallpapers behave in iOS 26. There is no published playback frame rate for wallpapers on any iOS version, and nothing about the Live Photo format changed.

All the New iOS 26 Lock Screen Features Explained

Spatial Scene Wallpapers

Spatial Scenes add a 3D depth effect to a photo from your own library, shifting the image as you move the phone. There is no fixed scene library — iOS builds the effect on device from photos that qualify, and only certain photos do. They work on iPhone 12 and later running iOS 26. See the full iOS 26 wallpaper guide and the dedicated Spatial Scenes guide for setup steps.

Live Photo Wallpapers

Live Photo wallpapers play once when the screen wakes and then hold on the key frame; you can replay the motion by touching and holding the lock screen. In our own device testing, iOS plays a short burst of motion that slows and settles onto the still frame rather than the entire clip. This behaves the same in iOS 26 as it did in iOS 17 and 18.

You can use any Live Photo from your camera roll, or create one from a still photo using Lockimate. Lockimate exports a native .heic + .mov pair that iOS 26 treats identically to a camera-shot Live Photo.

Widgets on the Lock Screen

Lock screen widgets carry over from iOS 16 through 18, restyled with the Liquid Glass material. You add and rearrange them the same way: long-press the lock screen, tap Customize, then tap a widget area. Apple has not published a new widget capacity for iOS 26, so treat any specific count you see quoted elsewhere with suspicion.

Notification Stacking

Instead of individual notification cards, iOS 26 groups notifications by app into a single collapsed stack at the bottom of the lock screen. The stack shows a count badge (e.g., "3 Messages"). Swipe up to expand individual notifications. This clears significantly more visual space for your wallpaper.

New Focus Mode Indicator

The Focus mode dot from iOS 15–18 is replaced by a labeled pill: "Work Mode," "Personal," or whatever you named your Focus. The pill sits below the time in the upper center of the lock screen, using Liquid Glass styling.

How to Customize the iOS 26 Lock Screen

To access the lock screen editor:

1. Wake your iPhone and long-press the lock screen (hold for approximately 1 second)
2. The lock screen lifts with a scale animation and the editing toolbar appears below it
3. Tap Customize to enter edit mode
4. Tap the clock to change font and color
5. Tap a widget area to add, remove, or rearrange widgets
6. Tap the wallpaper itself to change it — this opens the wallpaper picker
7. Swipe left in the picker to browse existing lock screens or tap + to add a new one
8. Tap Done → Set as Wallpaper Pair

To add a Live Photo from Lockimate: generate the animated wallpaper in Lockimate, save it to Photos, then in the wallpaper picker tap Photos and filter by Live.

What Changed From iOS 16, 17, and 18

iOS 16 (September 2022) introduced the modern lock screen editor Apple has built on ever since: depth-effect wallpapers, widget support, and multiple lock screen profiles. It also dropped Live Photo lock screen wallpapers, which Apple restored in iOS 17 — that is why Apple's own documentation lists the feature as "iOS 17 or later." iOS 17 and 18 added further refinements, StandBy mode and tinted icon styles among them, but the core layout stayed the same for three years.

iOS 26 is the first major visual change since iOS 16. Liquid Glass styling and notification stacking are the headline differences. The editing flow itself is unchanged, so the steps in how to customize your iPhone lock screen still apply.

If you upgraded from iOS 16 or 17, your existing lock screens carry over.

Which iPhones Get iOS 26

iOS 26 is available on iPhone 11 and newer, plus iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later. Earlier models (iPhone X, XS, XR, SE 1st generation) do not support iOS 26.

Feature availability varies by model — see the iOS 26 wallpaper guide for a breakdown of which wallpaper types work on which hardware.

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FAQ

How do I get the iOS 26 lock screen?

Update to iOS 26 via Settings → General → Software Update. iOS 26 requires iPhone 11 or newer, or iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later. After installing, your lock screen upgrades automatically. The lock screen editor is in the same place as iOS 16–18: long-press the lock screen to open it.

Does the iOS 26 lock screen work on older iPhones?

Partially. iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation) get iOS 26 and the Liquid Glass UI, but not Spatial Scenes — those need iPhone 12 or later. Every iPhone from the 12 onward can use Spatial Scenes, standard models included; there is no Pro-chip requirement. Live Photo wallpapers work on every iPhone running iOS 17 or later except the iPhone SE.

Can I use a Live Photo from my camera roll as an iOS 26 lock screen?

Yes. Any Live Photo in your Photos library works. Go to Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Photos, tap the Live filter, and select your photo. If you want to animate a still photo you already have, Lockimate converts it to a proper Live Photo in about 2–3 minutes — it saves a .heic + .mov pair directly to your camera roll, which iOS 26 treats as a native Live Photo.

Can I have different wallpapers for lock and home screen in iOS 26?

Yes, same as iOS 16–18. When you finish editing in the lock screen editor, tap Set as Wallpaper Pair to apply the same image to both screens, or tap Customize Home Screen to set a different wallpaper, color, or blur for the home screen independently.

Did Apple remove any lock screen features in iOS 26?

Nothing significant was removed. Live Photo wallpapers, lock screen widgets, multiple lock screen profiles, and the flashlight and camera shortcut buttons all carry over. The changes are additive: Liquid Glass styling, grouped notifications, and Spatial Scene wallpapers on iPhone 12 and later.