iphone lock screen icon copy

How to use the New Wallpaper Creator in iOS 26.5

11th May 2026

1:40

iPhone | QuickTips

| Lock Screen
iphone-dynamic-island
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iOS26 Icon
iOS 26.5
jacob-profile-picture

Jacob Woolcock

11th May 2026

Jacob Woolcock

411 views

1:40

| Lock Screen
iphone-dynamic-island
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iOS26 Icon
iOS 26.5

nothing to see here!

Description

Apple has just added a brand new way to create custom iPhone wallpapers in iOS 26.5 – no apps or downloads needed.

Transcript

Apple just added a way to make your own custom iPhone wallpapers right on your device. That’s right – no apps, no downloads. It’s built right into iOS 26.5, which just came out. If you’ve not updated yet, make sure you do that.

And these are not just static wallpapers. They’re beautifully animated too, and I’ll show you that later. Before we get started, if you enjoy iPhone tips like this, please do subscribe.

Okay, let’s show you how this works. We’re going to go to the Lock Screen on the iPhone, and we’re going to long press in the middle to go into edit mode. From here, tap on the plus in the bottom right-hand corner and we get our wallpaper gallery.

From here, we’re going to scroll down a little bit until we find the Pride section, and we’re going to choose the new Vertical Stripes wallpaper as part of the Pride collection this year.

Now, when you go onto there, you’re going to get 11 preset styles, which you can swipe through with various colour palettes chosen for you. But if you keep swiping all the way to the end, well, that’s where the real magic happens because here you can choose any amount of colours from 1 to 12, and it will create your own bespoke wallpaper using the colours that you’ve chosen.

Every time you select or deselect a colour, the wallpaper is going to regenerate, meaning you get something completely personal and bespoke to you. Once you’re happy, press Save in the corner.

And then you can see how beautiful it looks against that Liquid Glass clock on iOS 26. But there is one more secret here, and before I show you, make sure you hit that subscribe button for more tips just like this.

Okay, here’s my favourite part. Just lock your phone with your Always-On Display. That wallpaper is going to beautifully fade down to thin vertical bars with just that colour peeking through. And then, when you tap on the screen to wake it, it’s going to blossom into that full-colour wallpaper again for you.

It really is beautiful. And that’s it. If you enjoyed this video, I think you’re going to love this one.

iphone lock screen icon copy
About Lock Screen
The Lock Screen on iOS is the initial screen that appears when you wake your device, providing quick access to time, date, notifications, and certain widgets without unlocking the phone. It also offers security features like Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode entry to protect your device and personal information.
iOS26 Icon

Video Details

This QuickTip video was recorded on an iPhone 17 Pro Max
running iOS 26.5.

Thank You

All of my content is completely free to watch. However, to create these videos I require a steady stream of caffeine!  If you’ve found this QuickTip helpful then please do consider buying me a coffee. Thank you.

Reviews & Comments

Additional Information

The content used in this video is intended for educational and informational purposes only. All rights to the images, music, clips, and other media used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. This video has not been authorised, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc.

iPhone, iPad and iPadOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. iOS is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems Inc. Whilst I have done my best to list all applicable trademarks for this video, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I have missed any you can find a full list of trademarks registered to Apple Inc. here.

Finally, please note that whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained within this video was correct at time of publication, please be aware that as future updates and software changes occur some or all elements of this video may become outdated. I will endeavour to remove videos which are completely obsolete so as not to cause confusion!

Check out my new iOS 26 Book!

iphone lock screen icon copy
more Lock Screen

QuickTips

Enjoyed this video? Say thanks by buying me a coffee!

Share