How to modify your home screen. Adding different animated wallpapers and effects to your lock screen is one of iOS 16‘s most intriguing new features. You can even create several different custom lock screens and alternate between them instantly or according to the focus mode you’re in.
Although having more choice is great, it can be challenging to figure out how to change your home screen wallpaper when there are so many alternatives available, especially if you want it to be different from your lock screen.
The good news is that it’s not as difficult as it might seem at first. You may easily override iOS 16’s attempt to encourage you to choose matching wallpapers and use any image in your photo library instead. Additionally, iOS 16 now offers the option to blur your home screen wallpaper, which is a useful addition if you have trouble telling your icons from your background image.
How to configure your lock screen to use a custom home screen wallpaper
Your iPhone will present a blurred version of the same wallpaper for the background of your home screen when you generate a new lock screen wallpaper or modify an old one. With a large “Set as Wallpaper Pair” button, it encourages you to choose this, but you are under no obligation to do so.
Step 1: Press and hold any empty spot on your iPhone’s lock screen to launch the lock screen picker.
Step 2: Tap the plus icon in the bottom-right area to create a new lock screen.
How to modify your home screen
Step 3: Customize your new lock screen to your liking.For more information on what you can do here, see our post on how to customize your iPhone lock screen on iOS 16.
Step 4: To finish, click Add (or Done if you’re modifying an already-installed lock screen). Your lock screen and home screen wallpapers are shown in a preview.
Step 5: To select a different wallpaper for your home screen, select “Customize home screen. The editing view for the home screen wallpaper opens.
Step 6: Select Color or Gradient for a static background, or Photos for another image from your photo library.Leave Pair selected (Original on iOS 16.0) to keep the same wallpaper as your lock screen.
Step 7: Your lock screen wallpaper will be used as the background by default for the color and gradient selections. Select the Color or Gradient button once more to open the color picker and select a different color or gradient.
Step 8: To blur the wallpaper on your home screen, select Blur. This option is only accessible when using a custom photo or matching lock screen wallpaper; it is inactive when using a color or gradient because there is nothing to blur in those situations.
Step 9: Click “Done” in the top-right corner after making your home screen wallpaper your personal preference.