iPhone does not have a traditional screen saver

iPhones do not display screen savers the way older computers do. Instead, your iPhone shows your lock screen when it is inactive, and you can customize that lock screen with any photo or design you want. If you are looking to change what appears when your phone is idle, you are changing your lock screen wallpaper, not a screen saver.

The lock screen is what you see when your phone is locked or sleeping. You can also change your home screen wallpaper — the background behind your apps — separately. Both are customizable in the Settings app or through the Lock Screen menu.

Key Takeaways

  • iPhones show a lock screen when inactive, not a screen saver, and you can change this wallpaper through Settings or by long-pressing the lock screen.
  • You can set different wallpapers for your lock screen and home screen, or use the same image for both.
  • iOS comes with built-in wallpapers, but you can also use any photo from your camera roll or download images from the web.
  • Changes take effect immediately and you can switch between wallpapers as often as you want.

Changing your lock screen wallpaper through Settings

Open the Settings app and scroll down to find Wallpaper. Tap it, then tap Add New Wallpaper. You will see options: Featured (Apple's built-in designs), Photos (images from your camera roll), or Collections (themed sets of wallpapers).

If you choose Photos, select an image from your library. You can zoom, move, and position it however you want. Once you are satisfied, tap Add at the bottom right. A menu will appear asking whether you want to set this as your lock screen, home screen, or both. Choose your preference and tap Set.

If you choose Featured or Collections, browse the available designs, tap one you like, and follow the same steps to position and confirm.

Changing your lock screen wallpaper by long-pressing

On your iPhone, long-press (press and hold) anywhere on your lock screen until a menu appears at the bottom. Tap Customize. You will see your current lock screen design with editing options above it.

Tap the wallpaper preview image itself (usually at the top). A menu will open showing your wallpaper options: Featured, Photos, Collections, and others depending on your iOS version. Select a category, choose an image, and adjust it as needed. Tap Add or Done to save.

Changing your home screen wallpaper separately

Your home screen wallpaper is the background behind your app icons. You can set it to match your lock screen or choose something completely different. Open Settings, go to Wallpaper, and tap Add New Wallpaper. Select your image the same way you would for the lock screen.

When the positioning menu appears, tap Set and choose Home Screen instead of Lock Screen. If you want the same wallpaper on both, choose Both.

Using photos from your camera roll

Any photo you have taken or saved on your iPhone can become a wallpaper. In Settings, go to Wallpaper and tap Add New Wallpaper. Choose Photos, then select the album where your photo is stored (Camera Roll, Screenshots, a specific album, etc.).

Tap the photo you want. You can pinch to zoom in or out, and drag to reposition the image so the part you want is centered. The area outside your selection will be blurred slightly. Tap Add and choose whether to set it on your lock screen, home screen, or both.

Downloading new wallpapers from the web

If you want wallpapers beyond what comes with iOS, you can download them from websites or apps. Save an image to your Photos app by long-pressing it in Safari and selecting Save Image. Then follow the steps above to use it as your wallpaper.

Some apps in the App Store offer free wallpaper collections. Search for "wallpaper" in the App Store, download one, and the app will usually let you save images directly to your Photos library for use as lock screen or home screen backgrounds.

Troubleshooting common issues

If your wallpaper change does not appear, try restarting your iPhone. Press and hold the power button and volume button together, slide to power off, wait a few seconds, then power back on. If a wallpaper looks blurry or pixelated, the image resolution may be too low — try a higher-quality photo.

If you cannot find the Wallpaper option in Settings, make sure you are running a recent version of iOS. Go to Settings, tap General, then Software Update to check for updates. Older iOS versions may have the wallpaper option in a different location or with a different name.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a different wallpaper for each home screen page?

No. Your home screen wallpaper appears behind all your app pages. However, you can change your lock screen and home screen wallpapers independently of each other, so you can have two different images total.

What image size works best for iPhone wallpapers?

iPhone automatically crops and adjusts any image you choose, so there is no single "correct" size. Higher-resolution images (1080 pixels wide or larger) will look sharper than very small images, but any photo from your camera roll will work.

Will changing my wallpaper affect my apps or data?

No. Changing your wallpaper only changes the background image. Your apps, photos, messages, and all other data remain exactly as they were.

Can I use a live photo or video as my lock screen wallpaper?

Yes, on newer iPhone models. When you select a Live Photo, you can tap Live to enable motion. When you interact with your lock screen, the image will play a short video clip instead of staying still.