If you’re trying to figure out how to delete wallpaper on iPhone, our guide has you covered. While Apple always seems to make things as easy as possible on iPhone, it’s surprisingly complicated to just change your background, so we’ve put together step-by-step instructions on doing just that.
If you’re after an entirely new look for your iPhone, spruce up the outside as well as the inside with our guides to the best iPhone cases, or our articles on the best iPhone 13 cases, best iPhone 14 cases, and best iPhone 15 cases. If all this messing around has you thinking of maybe leaving Apple behind, we can help out there too, with our guides to the best Samsung phones, best Xiaomi phones, and best Google Pixel phones.
How do I delete wallpaper on iPhone on iOS 16 and 17?
Since the arrival of iOS 16, some find it more difficult to figure out how to delete wallpaper on iPhone. Still, there are countless reasons why you might want to get rid of your wallpaper, from tricky breakups to removing the crest of your sports team after a humiliating defeat. So, we’ve put together an easy-to-understand guide to switching up your background, and you can check it out down below.
- From your home screen, swipe down on the left side of the Dynamic Island – the bit in the middle of the screen with the front-facing camera – to open the lock screen.
- Press down to open the wallpaper collections window.
- Drag the wallpaper you want to delete upwards to reveal the trash can icon.
- Press the trash can icon and confirm you want to delete the wallpaper.
With that, you have deleted the lock screen wallpaper and no longer have to see it every time you lock your phone. If you need to find something new to replace it with, though, keep reading.
How do I create a custom lock screen wallpaper for iPhone?
Now that you’ve got the skills to delete your wallpaper, we can help you come up with a snazzy new one. With iOS 16 and 17, you can widgets to open specific apps from the lock screen. We’ve got the details on how to do that below;
- From your home screen, swipe down to the left of the Dynamic Island to show your lock screen.
- Hold your finger down on the screen to open the wallpaper collections window.
- Either select ‘customize’ to add widgets to your current wallpaper or scroll to the right and hit ‘+’ before selecting a new image or preset to use as your lock screen wallpaper.
- After hitting ‘customize’, select ‘lock screen’ followed by ‘widgets’.
- Choose from the list of available widgets until the widgets bar is full. Once you’re done, hit the ‘x’ button in the right corner of the menu to complete making your new lock screen.
There you have it, our guide on how to delete wallpaper on iPhone. While you’re here, check out everything we know about the next Apple smartphone with our iPhone 16 rumors hub, or see what the Android brands have to offer with our picks for the best Samsung phones and the best Xiaomi phones.