Best Tips & Tricks to Customize iPhone Lock Screen in iOS 16
Apple provides an ever-growing collection of Lock Screen wallpapers. Thus, you don’t have to look around to get a stunning wallpaper to adorn the Lock Screen of your iOS device. If you would like to take the customization to the next level, you can set your own photo as the wallpaper and style it up with different looks and also set a collection of images to automatically shuffle. To find out more about what iOS 16’s Lock Screen customization has got in store for you, let’s jump right in!
1. Create a New iPhone Lock Screen
To get started, you should create a brand new iPhone Lock Screen decked up with an eye-catching wallpaper. To ensure, you always have a ton of cool Lock Screens to choose from, iOS 16 allows you to create as many Lock Screens as you wish. Hence, make a special library of custom Lock Screens so that you will always have something out of the box to try.
- First off, unlock your iPhone with Face ID or Touch ID > long press on the screen to bring up the wallpaper gallery. Now, tap on the “+” button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Next, choose a preferred wallpaper in the gallery or tap the Photos button at the top row of options to choose a photo from your photo library. After that, design it to your liking.
2. Put Widgets on the Lock Screen
Widgets are the hottest ingredients for customizing the Lock Screen. And why not, they have arrived after a long wait. You can put a variety of widgets on the Lock Screen to make it look pleasing to the eyes. Currently, Apple offers two types of Lock Screen widgets. While one set of widgets is slightly larger and can be added to the widget panel below the time, the other set of widgets are pretty small and can be added above the time reading, exactly between the day and date reading. List of iPhone Lock Screen Widgets You Can Add Below Time
ClockRemindersBatteriesCalendarHomeFitnessWeatherNewsStocks
List of iPhone Lock Screen Widgets You Can Add Above Time
FitnessClockCalendarRemindersStocksWeather
Add Widgets to Your iPhone Lock Screen
- Unlock your device with Face ID/Touch ID > long press on the screen to access the wallpaper gallery.
- Now swipe left or right to find the wallpaper that you would like to design. Then, tap on Customize at the bottom of the screen.
- Then, tap on the frame below the time to reveal the widgets selector and select the widgets that you want to add. Note that you can add only up to 4 widgets to this widget panel.
- And if you want to show a tiny widget above the time, tap on the day and date reading and then select the desired widget. When you are happy with your wallpaper, tap on Done at the top right to finish.
3. Photo Shuffle on iPhone Lock Screen
How about shuffling some memorable photos on the Lock Screen? Photo Shuffle can not just make your Lock Screen more personalized but also make it look refreshed every time you interact with the Lock Screen. Interestingly, iOS 16 lets you choose from multiple shuffle frequencies such as:
Daily: Automatically change the Lock Screen daily. Hourly: Automatically change Lock Screen every hour.On Tap: Automatically change Lock Screen when you tap on the Lock Screen. On Wake: Automatically change the Lock Screen when you wake your device.
Hence, you can choose the desired way to shuffle photos on your iPhone Lock Screen.
- To do so, unlock your device -> long press on the screen -> “+” button at the bottom-right corner of the screen -> Photo Shuffle.
- Now, you can choose to shuffle featured photos or choose images manually. For better control, select images manually and then tap on the triple dot icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- After that, choose the preferred photo shuffle option like daily, hourly, on tap, or on wake as per your wish and you are all set!
4. Set Depth Effect Wallpaper on iPhone Lock Screen
Inspired by Apple Watch’s Portraits Watch Face, Depth Effect is designed to put the entire spotlight on the subject in a photo. Hence, your photo looks dramatic with the 3D effect on the Lock Screen. Notably, when the Depth Effect is turned on, the subject goes above the time.
- To set Depth Effect wallpaper on your iPhone Lock Screen, unlock your device -> long-press on the screen -> tap on the “+” button at the bottom -> Photos. Now, select a portrait photo from your photo library.
- Next, tap on the triple-dot icon at the bottom right corner of the screen and then tap Depth Effect to enable it.
5. Use Suggested Photos As Lock Screen
In order to let you easily pick some of the most memorable photos as the iPhone Lock Screen, Apple also suggests photos in the wallpaper library. Therefore, you don’t have to spend any time finding nice-looking images that can make the Lock Screen appealing.
- Unlock your iPhone -> long press on the screen -> “+” button at the bottom right corner of the screen. Under the suggested photos section, choose a photo and then customize it using styles, fonts, widgets, and more.
6. Customize Lock Screen with Fonts and Colors
If you wish to take the Lock Screen customization to the next level, you should customize the fonts and colors. The latest iteration of iOS offers a good collection of fonts so that you can choose a nice one to adorn your Lock Screen. What’s more, it also lets you adjust the color to ensure it’s always in line with your style quotient.
- Unlock your iPhone with Face ID or Touch ID -> long press on the screen to reveal the wallpaper gallery.
- Then, swipe left or right to find the desired Lock Screen -> tap on Customize at the bottom of the screen. Next, tap on the time reading to access the fonts and widgets window.
- Next up, select a cool font and use the color slider to fine-tune the color.
7. Create an Emoji Wallpaper
When it comes to raising the fun quotient on the Lock Screen, nothing can beat emoji wallpaper. So, you should get the most out of it to make your iPhone Lock Screen stand out. Apart from letting you choose from a ton of emojis, it also lets you select from a number of eye-catching backgrounds.
- To set an emoji wallpaper, unlock your iPhone -> long-press on the screen, and then tap on the “+” button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Now, select Emoji from the top row of options. Then after, customize the wallpaper using different backgrounds. Just swipe left/right on the screen to switch between backgrounds and use the emoji picker to select a fun-loving emoji.
8. Set Dynamic Lock Screen Wallpaper
There is a lot to like about dynamic Lock Screen wallpaper. As of now, Apple provides two types of dynamic Lock Screen wallpaper: Weather and Astronomy. Whereas the Dynamic Weather Lock Screen wallpaper lets you keep a track of weather conditions, the Dynamic Astronomy Lock Screen wallpaper allows you to view the sun, moon, earth events, and more.
- Unlock your iPhone with Face ID or Touch ID -> touch and hold on to the screen -> tap on the “+” button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Next, tap on Weather or Astronomy at the top row of options.
- Then, swipe left/right to preview different backgrounds and then tap on Done to finish.
9. Switch Focus Modes from iPhone Lock Screen
If you are fond of Focus Mode and use it to keep distractions away from your task or any important thing, you would be pleased to know that you can now switch Focus Modes right from the Lock Screen on your iPhone. Yeah, you no longer need to dig into settings or bring up the Control Center to activate a specific Focus Mode. To get started, unlock your iPhone using Touch ID or Face ID -> long press on the screen -> swipe to find the wallpaper and then tap on Focus button along the bottom of the screen. Now, a window will appear on the screen with all of your Focus profiles. Next, just select a desired Focus profile and then close the window. And that’s about it. Pretty easy, isn’t it?
10. Hide Notifications on iPhone Lock Screen
Do you know that you can hide notifications on your iPhone Lock Screen in iOS 16? With iOS 16, Apple has redesigned Notification Center. Unlike before, notifications now appear as a stack and show up on the screen from the bottom. Even better, you can also change the layout of the notifications through the pinch gesture. And if you no longer want the prying eyes to keep a track of your alerts, you can even hide them. To do so, go to the Settings app -> Notifications -> Display As and then choose Count. Going forward, notifications will appear as count on the Lock Screen. For example, 1 notification, 2 notifications, etc. If you want to temporarily hide the notifications on your iPhone Lock Screen, just swipe down on the notification to change it into the count view.
11. Link a Lock Screen with Focus Mode
Wouldn’t it be super cool if you could create a special Lock Screen for a specific Focus Mode and link them? This way, whenever you activate your Focus Mode, the custom Lock Screen will also come into play. You can make the most of this hack to make your Lock Screen in line with a particular Focus profile. For example, a fitness-centric Lock Screen will become active when you kickstart your Yoga Focus and a work-related Lock Screen will take the center stage when you reach office. Open the Settings app on your iPhone -> Focus -> “+” button at the top right corner of the screen –> Custom. Now, create a new Focus profile. After that, create a new Lock Screen or choose an already created Lock Screen. Then, automate it to become active as and when you want it to.
12. Automatically Switch iPhone Lock Screen in iOS 16 at Set Time or Location
What If I tell you that you can customize your iPhone to automatically switch the Lock Screen at a set time or location? Well, you may most probably want to get the most out of this hack. Imagine your iPhone will switch to a productivity-defining Lock Screen when you are at work, display a neat Lock Screen with weather and other essential info like reminders in the morning, and show a health-powered Lock Screen the moment you hit the treadmill running in the gym. That would be really handy.
To make the most of this hack, head into the Settings app -> Focus -> tap on the “+” button at the top-right corner of the screen -> Custom. Now, create a new Focus profile -> customize it to your liking. Then, automate it to switch to a new Lock Screen at a preferred time, location, or when you open an app.
13. Change the Color of Your iPhone Lock Screen
To let you experiment with a variety of colors, iOS 16 comes with a wallpaper called “Color”. What makes it a great addition is the ability to let you easily change its color thanks to the availability of color switches, color slider, and color picker.
To bring this wallpaper into action, unlock your iPhone -> long press on the screen -> “+” button at the bottom right corner of the screen. Now, tap on Color in the top row of options. Next, you can use the color switches or the color slider to change the color of your iPhone Lock Screen. Once you have customized your Lock Screen, tap on Done to finish.
14. Change Clock Style on iPhone Lock Screen
For a more personalized experience, you can tweak the clock style of your iPhone Lock Screen. Luckily, Apple offers some good-looking clock styles to let you make the Lock Screen stand out from the rest.
- Unlock your device -> swipe to find the wallpaper that you want to customize -> tap on the Customize button at the bottom of the screen.
- Now, tap on the time reading to bring up the font and color window. Next, select a cool font for your clock style. In the end, do not forget to tap on Done at the top-right corner of the screen to confirm the changes.
15. Change the Lock Screen Clock to Devanagari
Not many folks would be aware of the fact that iOS 16 allows users to change the Lock Screen clock to Devanagari. For those unaware, Devanagari is the alphabet used for Hindi, Sanskrit, and other Indian languages.
- To begin with, unlock your device -> long-press on the screen, and tap on the Customize button at the bottom of the wallpaper you want to customize.
- Then, tap on the time reading to access the font and color window. Next, tap on the globe icon at the top-left corner of the window and choose Devanagari in the menu. Note that the menu also lets you change the clock style to Arabic Numerals and Arabic Indic. As always, be sure to tap on Done at the top right to finish.
16. Style Your iPhone’s Lock Screen Photo
Well, I have specifically picked up this one for the folks who have a huge penchant for setting up stylish photos as the Lock Screen wallpaper. iOS 16 makes use of machine learning to offer a selection of looks which you can use to enhance the look of your photo. Unlike a simple filter, looks more refined and seamlessly blends with a photo. To style your photo, unlock your device -> long-press on the screen -> Photos button in the top row of options -> select a photo from your library. Now, swipe left/right in the Lock Screen editor to preview the auto-generated looks. When you are happy with a specific look, tap on Done at the top-right to finish.
17. Crop the Lock Screen Wallpaper
This one is for the folks who like to set their stunning images as the Lock Screen wallpaper. To ensure the image looks neat on the Lock Screen, iOS 16 allows you to perfectly adjust the image, thanks to the neat cropping tool.
Unlock your device using biometric authentication and then long press on the screen to bring up the wallpaper gallery.Next, tap on the Customize button at the bottom of the screen.Next up, tap on the wallpaper once to bring up the built-in image cropping tool. Up next, pinch to crop the image. Yeah, you can fine-tune the image by just using the pinch gesture. When you are happy with the image, make sure to tap on Done at the top right corner of the screen.
Finally, you can set the wallpaper for both the Lock Screen and Home Screen.In the end, tap on the wallpaper in the gallery to activate it.
18. Enable Full-Screen Album Art on Your iPhone Lock Screen
Much to the delight of many music lovers, Apple has re-added the option to enable the full-screen album art on the Lock Screen. Apart from spicing up your music listening experience, it can also play a vital role in making your iPhone Lock Screen look elegant.
To get going, open your favorite music streaming app. It is worth noting that it works with both Apple Music and third-party apps like Spotify and YouTube Music. So, you can show the album art of almost any music app.Now, play any song and then Lock the Screen. Just swipe down from the top of the screen. Next, tap on the image of the album art to make it large. And when you want to revert the change, simply tap on the album art and you are good to go.
19. Show iPhone Battery Percentage in the Status Bar
The battery percentage indicator Maude’s it easy to keep a track of the battery age and figure out how much power is left in the tank. Thus the reason why many iPhone users didn’t like apple’s decision to remove the battery percentage from the status bar on the modern iPhone models with Face ID. However, with the introduction of iOS 16, you can finally display the iPhone battery percentage in the status bar.
To do so, go to the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on Battery.Now, turn on the toggle for battery percentage. Voila! The battery percentage will start showing in the status bar.
Note that when the Low Power Mode is enabled, the battery percentage automatically appears in the status bar.
20. Secure Your Lock Screen
Whether you are a privacy-conscious person or want to enhance the safeguard of your personal information, you should enable an extra layer of shield for the Lock Screen.
To get it done, open the Settings app iPhone > Face ID & Passcode. Under allow access when unlocked section, turn off/on the toggles next to each option like Today View and Search, Control Centre, Notification Centre, Lock Screen Widgets, reply with iMessage, Home Control, wallet, return missed calls, and USB accessories. From now onwards, no one will be able to access these features from the Lock Screen.
Once you have made the desired changes, quit the Settings app and you are good to go.If you ever want to make any changes, return to the Face ID setting and then do the needful.
Pro Tips to Design Your iPhone Lock Screen to Your Heart’s Liking
There you go! So, these are the best tips and tricks to customize the Lock Screen in iOS 16. Now that you have unraveled all the pro hacks, make the most of them make your Lock Screen stand out from the rest. Whether you wish to make it look elegant or want to show it as funky, this guide has got you covered. Still, if you find any handy tips missing from this guide, make sure to let us know via the comments section below. And also be sure to shoot your thoughts about it – without fail.
