For some reason, figuring out how to delete wallpaper on iPhone isn’t as easy as it used to be. With Apple always pushing to innovate, sometimes the tech giant makes things more complicated than necessary. With that in mind, we’ve put together this guide detailing how to mix up your background in a few simple steps, so you don’t have to spend too long searching around in your settings.
If you’re after an entirely fresh look for your iPhone, spruce up the outside as well as the inside with our guide to the best iPhone cases, which includes options for the new iPhone 16. Or, if you’re thinking of swapping your old iPhone out for something better equipped for play, check out our comprehensive list of the best gaming phones.
How to Delete Wallpaper on iPhone for iOS 17 and 18
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.
Create Custom Lock Screen Wallpaper for Your 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, 17, and 18, you can create 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 the process of making your new lock screen.
Finding New iPhone Wallpapers
Finding new iPhone wallpapers is easy; you just need to search for them on Google. Whether you’re looking for something nice and plain, but not one of the pre-installed backgrounds, or something to pay tribute to your favorite celebrity, band, or sports team, you should have no problems finding something to suit your needs.
I usually use the site Pexels for my wallpapers, but there are plenty of different options. With the dawn of Apple Intelligence, Apple’s new suite of AI features, soon you’ll be able to design your own wallpapers in the Image Playground. This new image-generating app gives you the option of three styles – Animation, Illustration, and Sketch – so you can get creative and make something unique to your phone.
There you have it, our guide on how to delete wallpaper on iPhone. While you’re here, see what the rival Android brands have to offer with our picks for the best Samsung phones and the best Xiaomi phones.
