How to Use Live Wallpapers on iPhone

Still photos as wallpaper are fine, and most people use it. But if you are looking to liven up your iPhone display, you may choose to use a moving wallpaper for home screen and lock screen. iOS supports two kinds of animated wallpapers – Dynamic and Live. In this guide, let me show you how to spice up things by setting and using a live wallpaper.

iPhones That Support Live Wallpaper
How to Set Live Wallpaper on iPhone
How to Use Live Wallpaper on iPhone
How to Set Live Photos as Wallpaper on iPhone
How to Set GIF as Live Wallpaper on iPhone
How to Set Video as Live Wallpaper on iPhone

iPhones That Support Live Wallpaper

Initially, live wallpaper was exclusive to devices with 3D Touch. But now that is no longer the case. You can use live wallpaper on iPhone 6s and later. However, iPhone XR and iPhone SE (1st Gen) do not support it.

Full list of iPhone models that support Live Wallpapers and Live Photos.

iPhone SE 2020
iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone XS and XS Max
iPhone X
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

How to Set Live Wallpaper on iPhone

Open the Settings app and tap on Wallpaper.
Tap on Choose a New Wallpaper.
Tap on Live to choose in-built images. Tap on Live Photos to choose a live picture from your Photos app
Tap on a wallpaper to select it.
Make sure the tiny icon for live photos (three circles) is not slashed.
Tap Set and choose Set Lock Screen.

Note: You can use Live wallpaper (see next heading) only on the lock screen. If you set them for Home screen, they behave like any standard still wallpaper. However, if you choose to set a Dynamic wallpaper (in step 3 above), it moves even on the Home screen.

How to Use Live Wallpaper on iPhone

Lock your iPhone after you have successfully set a Live wallpaper
Touch and hold anywhere on the lock screen. You will see the image move

How to Set Live Photos as Wallpaper on iPhone

Not happy with the few inbuilt Apple offerings? Well, go ahead and download some beautiful Live photos using one of the best live wallpaper apps. Or, use the Live picture you clicked using the iPhone camera.

You can follow the first method and in step #3, tap on Live Photos, and set a live picture from your Photos app. Or, let me show you an additional method below.

Open the Photos app and tap on Albums.
Scroll down. Under Media Types, tap on Live Photos.
Tap to choose an image. Next, tap on the share icon from the bottom left.
Scroll down and tap on Use as Wallpaper.
Ensure the icon for Live Photo is not slashed.
Next, use a finger to move the image. Use two fingers to zoom in or out
When satisfied, tap on Set and finally tap on Set Lock Screen.

Now, lock your iPhone and press on the lock screen to see the Live Photo animate. You can use this method (and ones below) to have moving pictures of your loved ones (kids playing, cutting birthday cake, etc.) as wallpaper.

How to Set GIF as Live Wallpaper on iPhone

Did you download a funny GIF or even better create a GIF yourself on your iPhone? Now, do you want to set it as Live wallpaper? Well, worry not. It is possible. First, you have to convert the GIF into a Live Photo. And then you can set it as Lock screen wallpaper. We have an easy step-by-step guide that shows you how.

How to Set Video as Live Wallpaper on iPhone

With just a little work, you can set videos as wallpaper on your iPhone. The main idea behind this is the same as above. You guessed it right! First, you have to convert the video into a Live Photo. After that, you can easily set it as wallpaper on your iOS device.

Wrapping Up…

This is how you can set and use Live wallpapers on your iPhone. If you have switched to iPhone from Android (especially Pixel or Samsung Galaxy – that have great animated wallpaper support), you may have questions like why Live wallpaper does not always move on the lock screen! Why do I need to press it! Or, why can’t I set one for Home screen also? Well, these are valid questions. But as of now, this is the best Apple has for you. Hopefully, things may change in iOS 14.

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