LockimateComplete guide ·
iPhone Lock Screen: The Complete Customization Guide
Your iPhone lock screen supports 6 distinct customization layers: wallpaper, clock style, widget row, notification presentation style, depth effects, and — on iOS 16 or later — multiple saved lock screen profiles you can switch between. Long-press the lock screen for 1 second to enter edit mode. Every iPhone from XS onward running iOS 16.0+ supports the full feature set.
What You Can Customize on the iPhone Lock Screen
iOS 16 introduced the most significant lock screen overhaul in iPhone history, and each subsequent release has added incremental controls. For inspiration on putting these layers together, browse iPhone lock screen ideas for 2026. Here is what every layer does:
- Wallpaper — static image, Live Photo (animated), or one of Apple's ~30 built-in animated presets. Live Photos animate for 1.5 seconds on raise-to-wake.
- Clock style — choose from 9 font families (Arabic Indic, Arabic, Devanagari, Khmer, Serif, Rounded, and more) and any system color. The clock sits above the widget row.
- Widget row — up to 4 small widgets or 2 medium widgets below the clock. Supplied by Apple apps (Weather, Activity, Calendar, Clock) and third-party apps that adopt the WidgetKit lock screen API.
- Notification style — Stack (iOS 16 default), List, or Count (introduced iOS 16.1). Count shows a single number badge rather than individual banners.
- Depth effect — on supported wallpapers, iOS places the clock behind foreground subjects using segmentation AI. Requires iPhone 12 or later for best results.
- Lock screen profiles — up to 10 saved lock screens per device, switchable via long-press or tied to Focus modes.
Of all those layers, the wallpaper is the one that can actually move. Lockimate makes the Live Photo for you from any still — pick a vibe, tap generate, and it's in your camera roll in about 30 seconds.
Make a live wallpaperHow to Enter Lock Screen Edit Mode (iOS 16 and Later)
Apple moved lock screen editing from Settings into a direct interaction on the lock screen itself starting with iOS 16. The workflow takes 5 steps:
- Wake your iPhone but do not unlock it. Stay on the lock screen (Face ID or Touch ID should not complete).
- Long-press the lock screen for about 1 second. The lock screen zooms out and shows a row of your saved lock screen profiles at the bottom.
- Tap "Customize" on the current lock screen, or tap the blue "+" button to create a new one from scratch.
- Tap any element to edit it — tap the clock to change font and color, tap the widget area to add or rearrange widgets, tap the wallpaper area to change the image.
- Tap "Done" → "Set as Wallpaper Pair" to save. Or tap "Customize Home Screen" first if you want a different image behind your apps.
If long-pressing does nothing, confirm you are on iOS 16.0 or later under Settings → General → About → iOS Version. Devices on iOS 15 or earlier use the old path: Settings → Wallpaper → Choose a New Wallpaper.
For a step-by-step visual walkthrough, see the how to customize lock screen iPhone guide, or the how to edit an existing lock screen guide if you are changing one you already saved.
Lock Screen Customization by iOS Version
Capabilities have expanded with each major release. Use this table to know what your device supports:
| Feature | iOS 16 | iOS 17 | iOS 18 | iOS 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-press edit mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple lock screen profiles (up to 10) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clock font and color | Yes (9 fonts) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lock screen widgets (WidgetKit) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notification style (Stack/List/Count) | Yes (from 16.1) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live Photo wallpaper (animated) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Depth effect (clock behind subject) | Yes (iPhone 12+) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Focus-linked lock screen switching | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contact Poster on lock screen | No | Yes (iOS 17.0) | Yes | Yes |
| Interactive widgets (tap to act) | No | Yes (iOS 17.0) | Yes | Yes |
| RCS-style lock screen notifications | No | No | Yes (iOS 18.0) | Yes |
| Liquid Glass clock style | No | No | No | Yes (iOS 26) |
| AI wallpaper suggestions | No | No | No | Yes (iOS 26) |
iOS 26 Lock Screen Changes
iOS 26 — released in 2026 — introduced the most visible design change to the lock screen since iOS 16. The primary addition is the Liquid Glass aesthetic: the clock numerals and widget row now use a translucent frosted-glass rendering that reacts to the wallpaper colors behind it in real time. On a dark wallpaper the clock appears near-white; on a light scene it deepens. This is not just a tint — the glass layer has its own refraction simulation that shifts as the live wallpaper animates beneath it.
iOS 26 also added AI wallpaper suggestions. If you grant Photos access, the system proposes 3 wallpaper options each week based on recently captured photos. Suggestions appear as a small banner in the Wallpaper settings, not as automatic changes — you still tap to accept.
The long-press edit flow is unchanged from iOS 16. All existing lock screen profiles, widget configurations, and Live Photo wallpapers migrate without any action required when upgrading to iOS 26. See the full iOS 26 wallpaper guide for every change affecting lock screen backgrounds.
Live Photo Wallpapers: The Most Dynamic Lock Screen Option
A Live Photo wallpaper plays a 1.5-second animation every time you raise your iPhone or press the lock screen. It uses the same native Apple format — a paired .heic still and .mov clip — that your iPhone camera already produces. No app needs to stay running in the background. No video loop is involved. The animation triggers on demand and stops automatically, adding less than 1% to daily battery drain on iPhone 15 hardware.
Apple ships roughly 30 animated lock screen presets covering weather, astronomy, and abstract motion. These are polished but fixed — you cannot use your own photo with them.
To use a photo you actually own as an animated lock screen, you need to convert it to Live Photo format first. Lockimate handles this end-to-end: import any still image, pick an animation vibe (Warm, Playful, Cinematic, or Lively), and receive a native Live Photo saved to your Camera Roll in approximately 20–40 seconds. The file installs exactly like any other Live Photo — no workarounds, no third-party player app required. The first generation is free. See the live wallpaper iPhone hub for every method and a comparison table.
To set any Live Photo as your lock screen: long-press the lock screen → Customize → tap the wallpaper area → Photos → filter to Live Photos → select → Done → Set as Wallpaper Pair. For a detailed version of this flow, the animated lock screen iPhone guide covers every step with specifics for iOS 16 through iOS 26.
Spoke Guides in This Hub
- How to customize lock screen iPhone — detailed walkthrough of every customization option
- How to edit lock screen iPhone — changing an existing lock screen vs. creating a new one
- iPhone lock screen widgets — which apps support lock screen widgets and how to arrange them
- Animated lock screen iPhone — Live Photo wallpapers, AI animation, and Apple presets compared
- iOS 26 wallpaper — Liquid Glass, AI suggestions, and every iOS 26 lock screen change
- Live wallpaper iPhone — complete hub for animated lock screen wallpapers
FAQ
How do I change my lock screen wallpaper?
On iOS 16 or later: long-press the lock screen for 1 second, tap "Customize" on the current profile, then tap the wallpaper area to open the image picker. Choose from Photos, your Camera Roll filtered to Live Photos, or Apple's built-in animated presets. On iOS 15 or earlier, go to Settings → Wallpaper → Choose a New Wallpaper. The new long-press method is not available below iOS 16.0.
Can I add widgets to the lock screen?
Yes, on iOS 16.0 or later. Long-press the lock screen → Customize → tap the widget row below the clock. You can place up to 4 small (1-slot) widgets or up to 2 medium (2-slot) widgets in that row. Apple's own apps (Weather, Calendar, Activity, Clock, Reminders) support lock screen widgets, as do many third-party apps that have adopted the WidgetKit lock screen API since iOS 16. Starting with iOS 17.0, lock screen widgets became interactive — you can tap a widget (such as a Home app toggle) to trigger an action without unlocking the device.
How do I get an animated lock screen?
Three paths exist. First, Apple's built-in presets: long-press the lock screen → "+" → scroll to the animated categories (Weather, Astronomy, Color gradients) and pick one — completely free, no extra app needed. Second, set any existing Live Photo from your Camera Roll as the wallpaper — open Customize, tap the wallpaper area, filter to Live Photos, and select. Third, create a custom animated wallpaper from a still photo using Lockimate: pick any photo, choose a vibe, and receive a native Live Photo in under 40 seconds. The first Lockimate generation is free; Pro unlocks unlimited generations and 4 art styles.
How many lock screens can I save on iPhone?
iOS allows up to 10 saved lock screen profiles per device. Each profile stores its own wallpaper, clock style, widget configuration, and notification style independently. You switch between them by long-pressing the lock screen and swiping left or right through the saved profiles. You can also link each profile to a specific Focus mode so it activates automatically — for example, a minimal dark lock screen when Work Focus is on, and a personal photo when Personal Focus is active.
Does changing the lock screen also change the home screen wallpaper?
Not automatically. When you tap "Done" after editing a lock screen, iOS asks whether to "Set as Wallpaper Pair" (applies a matched home screen) or "Customize Home Screen" (lets you pick a separate image or color for the home screen). If you choose "Set as Wallpaper Pair," iOS generates a blurred or dimmed version of your lock screen wallpaper for the home screen. Choosing "Customize Home Screen" keeps the two independent. Live Photo wallpapers assigned to the home screen appear as static images — the animation only plays on the lock screen.
The wallpaper layer is the one most people leave on a static image. Give your lock screen motion instead — Lockimate turns any photo into a Live Photo that animates every time you raise your phone.
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