Spatial Scenes on iPhone: Apple's iOS 26 Wallpaper Type

Spatial Scenes are a wallpaper type introduced in iOS 26. They are depth-layered images that shift and parallax as you tilt your iPhone, giving the lock screen a sense of three-dimensional space without requiring any tap or swipe. They are available exclusively on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max or later, running iOS 26. You set one in Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Spatial Scenes.

What Spatial Scenes Are

A Spatial Scene is not a photo or a video. It is a multi-layer image stack — Apple constructs each scene from several depth planes: a foreground element, a mid-ground, and a background. When you tilt the iPhone, the layers shift at different rates, producing a parallax effect similar to looking through a window. The motion is real-time and physics-driven, responding to the accelerometer at up to 120 Hz on ProMotion displays.

The depth separation is authored by Apple. Each Spatial Scene shipped in iOS 26 was built as a purpose-made asset with explicit Z-depth data per layer — this is not the same as the depth map HEIF format used by Portrait mode photos. Apple renders them using the same Metal pipeline as the Weather wallpaper introduced in iOS 16, but with spatial composition rather than particle effects.

Spatial Scenes always show on the lock screen and carry through to the home screen as a blurred, softened version. They do not play on raise-to-wake the way Live Photos do. Instead, they respond to gyroscope input continuously while the screen is on.

Which iPhones Support Spatial Scenes

Spatial Scenes require:

• iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max (minimum), or any later iPhone Pro or standard model running iOS 26
• iOS 26 — the feature does not back-port to iOS 16, 17, 18, or earlier
• ProMotion display is not strictly required (iPhone 15 and 15 Plus also run iOS 26) but the parallax effect renders at a higher frame rate on 120 Hz ProMotion panels

iPhone 14 Pro and earlier do not support Spatial Scenes even if technically capable of running an older iOS version. Apple has not confirmed whether older devices will receive iOS 26 and therefore access to Spatial Scenes.

The Spatial Scenes gallery ships with approximately 20 scenes at iOS 26 launch, covering landscapes, macro nature, cityscapes, and abstract art. Apple updates the gallery through software updates — iOS 26.1 is expected to add additional scenes.

How to Set a Spatial Scene Wallpaper

1. Open Settings → Wallpaper
2. Tap Add New Wallpaper (top right)
3. Scroll the wallpaper type row at the top — after Weather, Astronomy, and Shuffle, you will see Spatial Scenes
4. Tap a scene to preview it. Tilt your iPhone in hand to see the depth effect before committing
5. Tap Add → Set as Lock Screen

The wallpaper editor for Spatial Scenes does not offer the same zoom/position controls as photo wallpapers. The framing is fixed by Apple's composition. You can choose between Light and Dark variants on scenes that offer them.

How Spatial Scenes Differ from Live Photos and Interactive Wallpapers

Spatial Scenes, Live Photos, interactive wallpapers, and static images each produce motion in a distinct way. The differences matter when choosing what suits your phone usage pattern.

Wallpaper type	Motion trigger	Motion type	Custom photo support	Supported devices	Battery impact
Spatial Scene	Gyroscope / tilt	Parallax depth layers, continuous	No — Apple curated only	iPhone 15 Pro+ on iOS 26	Low (GPU only while screen on)
Live Photo	Raise-to-wake or screen press	3-second video playback	Yes — any Live Photo	iPhone XS+ on iOS 16+	Very low (short burst)
Interactive Wallpaper	Tap or swipe	Particle / physics animation	No — Apple curated only	iPhone XS+ on iOS 16+	Moderate
Static Photo	None	No motion	Yes — any image	All iPhones	None

The key practical difference: Live Photos give you a moment of motion when you pick up the phone; Spatial Scenes give you continuous depth as you hold and tilt it. They serve different aesthetic purposes and are not substitutes for each other.

Live Photos also allow custom images — you can set any Live Photo you've taken or generated as a lock screen wallpaper. Spatial Scenes do not: you are limited to Apple's curated library of approximately 20 scenes at launch.

For more on how Live Photos work on the lock screen, see how Live Photos animate on iPhone, the Live Photo lock screen guide, and the full iOS 26 wallpaper guide.

Can You Create a Custom Spatial Scene?

No — as of iOS 26, there is no way to create a custom Spatial Scene from your own photos. Apple does not expose the Spatial Scene authoring format to third-party developers or end users. The multi-layer depth files are proprietary assets compiled into the iOS firmware.

This may change in future iOS releases, but Apple has not announced any custom Spatial Scene API or tool as of WWDC 2026.

What you can do instead: If you want a custom animated wallpaper — one made from your own photo — the closest equivalent is a Live Photo wallpaper. Lockimate converts any still photo into a native Apple Live Photo (.heic + .mov) using AI video generation. You choose an animation vibe (Warm, Playful, Cinematic, or Lively) and the output saves directly to Photos, ready to set as a lock screen wallpaper with the Live toggle enabled. Unlike Spatial Scenes, it animates on raise-to-wake and works on iPhone XS and later — not just iPhone 15 Pro+. See the iOS 26 live wallpaper guide for how Spatial Scenes and Live Photo wallpapers fit together.

See interactive iPhone wallpaper options for a full comparison of every animated wallpaper type available in iOS 26.

FAQ

Which iPhones support Spatial Scenes?

Spatial Scenes require an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone model (including non-Pro) released in 2024 or later, running iOS 26. iPhone 14 Pro and earlier models are not supported even if they previously ran iOS 17. At launch, iOS 26 is confirmed for iPhone XS and later, but the Spatial Scenes wallpaper type only appears in the picker on supported hardware. If you don't see Spatial Scenes in your wallpaper picker after updating to iOS 26, your device is not on the supported list.

Can I make my own Spatial Scene from a photo?

No. As of iOS 26, Apple does not provide any tool, API, or in-app option to create a custom Spatial Scene. The approximately 20 scenes available at launch are pre-built Apple assets. Third-party apps cannot write to the Spatial Scene wallpaper slot. The best alternative for a custom animated lock screen is a Live Photo generated by an app like Lockimate — it produces a native .heic + .mov pair that iOS accepts as a Live Photo wallpaper, giving you a personalized animated lock screen from any still image.

Do Spatial Scenes drain battery?

Spatial Scenes have a low to moderate battery impact compared to interactive wallpapers. The parallax effect runs on the GPU using Metal and only activates while the screen is on and the gyroscope detects tilt — it does not run in the background or on always-on display. In Apple's internal testing (referenced in WWDC 2026 session materials), Spatial Scenes consumed roughly 3–5% more battery per hour of active screen-on time compared to a static wallpaper. Live Photos have a lower impact because they only play for 1–3 seconds per raise-to-wake event. If battery life is a concern, a Live Photo wallpaper is the more efficient animated option.

Are Spatial Scenes the same as depth effect wallpapers?

No. The Depth Effect wallpaper (introduced in iOS 16) uses Portrait mode depth data to layer the clock behind a foreground subject in your photo. It is a single-image effect tied to HEIF depth maps from the iPhone camera. Spatial Scenes are a separate, purpose-built asset type with explicit multi-layer composition. Spatial Scenes have more depth planes and a stronger parallax range than the Depth Effect, and they do not require a Portrait mode photo as source material.