Best Resources for iPhone Backgrounds

iPhone backgrounds can look quite different from product to product. Some people have photos of their loved ones, others prefer animated backgrounds and some of us never bothered to change the default background that came with our phones. No matter what iPhone backgrounds we choose, we can all do better than our current one. 

We outlined a quick rundown on how to change your background. After you remember that process, check out our list of the best online resources to help you find the perfect background screen for your iPhone!

How to Change Your iPhone Background

You can change your iPhone’s background (a.k.a. wallpaper) in a matter of seconds. Just follow these steps:

• Save your desired background image to the Photos app.

• Go to “Settings” > “Wallpaper” > “Choose a New Wallpaper.”

• Scroll through your photos and tap on your new background image.

• Turn “Perspective Zoom” on/off, depending on your preference. This feature makes the image automatically center itself as your iPhone moves around.

• Tap “Set” to reveal your three background image options.

• Choose “Set Lock Screen” to set the image as your new lock screen background.

• Choose “Set Home Screen” to set the image as your new home screen background.

• Tap on “Set Both” to set the image as both backgrounds.

With the logistics out of the way, we can move on to the places where you can find the background image you’ve always wanted. Let’s start with the most logical first place to look.

1. Your Camera Roll

Naturally, your camera roll is the first place you should search for a new iPhone background. Scour your various albums for any cool idea. You might have missed a picture you took with friends a while back, or you filmed a candid moment worthy of a wallpaper. We often forget about screenshots and downloads as soon as we take them.  You might be surprised at what you find.

If you’re a sentimental person, you probably won’t find anything better than the images on your camera roll. Choose a picture that appeals to your nature and stick to it.

2. Canva

Canva is a social media design app that lets you create custom graphics, including backgrounds. It makes free wallpapers for phones, tablets and desktops and has a collection of over 2 million images. You can choose from hundreds of unique templates, drag/drop images and arrange text in any formation you want.

Don’t let these features overwhelm you: Canva is easy to use for even the most inexperienced graphic designers. If you want feedback, share your work with friends. As long as everyone has the Canva app, you can collaborate on the same project from separate devices.

3. YouCam Perfect

YouCam Perfect is another highly-rated design app you can use to create a custom wallpaper. This app has some awesome features. You can add a completely new and unique background to a preexisting photo, create “couples wallpapers,” and apply dozens of cool filters with moving parts. 

While Canva has more tools overall, YouCam specializes in providing a filter for every mood and aesthetic. The app reports that “City Vibes” and “Sweet Shade” are two of the popular ones among users. It has everything you need to turn a bland photo into a new wallpaper that fits your style.

4. Pinterest

Pinterest is a great resource for iPhone backgrounds because you can customize your image feed to fit your personality and interests. Other social media sites have this feature too, but since Pinterest solely revolves around images, you can find many great wallpaper options in the blink of an eye.

You can also pin images you like to your profile for future reference, helping you keep your wallpaper options in an appropriate forum instead of downloading all of them to your photos app where they take up needless space. When you find the image you’ve been looking for, just download it from there.

5. Pexels

Pexels is one of several websites we’ll discuss with free stock images and iPhone wallpapers. With over 1000 options and counting, you can simply search “iPhone wallpaper” to get a wide variety of results. If you want to specify your search even more, apply filters based on photo orientation, size and color scheme.

If you create a free account, you can also start a collection of photos just like Pinterest and download the image of choice once you make a final decision. However, you might find the decision-making process difficult with Pexels adding more beautiful images every day.

6. Pixabay

Pixabay has the same concept as Pexels, but the website’s layout is more social media-like and thus easier to use for some people. You can set filters based on photos, graphics, illustrations and other image types. Plus, once you download an image you can adjust its dimensions to fit your phone. This feature especially helps if your iPhone’s storage is near full capacity.

Downloading is free and doesn’t require you to make an account, but you need an account if you want to start a collection. We suggest you make one not only to collect your photos, but to follow and support the photographers who upload their work for free.

7. Unsplash

Unsplash is the third stock image website with thousands of iPhone backgrounds. The site has a gallery of categories right at the top of the page, allowing you to pinpoint your interests without searching. It even has 3D-rendered images that could add another dimension (literally) to your iPhone’s background.

The collecting/downloading policy is the same on Unsplash as on the previous two sites. It’s easy to get lost in the various galleries. Once you start scrolling, it’s hard to stop.

Create or Find Your New Background

With these seven resources, you can find an amazing background or create a new one in just a few minutes. These apps and websites have everything you need to make a background that fits your personality better than any default image or graphic that Apple provides. Start browsing and find your next background image today!