How to Customize Lock Screen on iPhone & iPad: Step-by-Step Guide

Lock screen on iPhone/iPad Play two opposing roles: It offers quick and convenient access to lots of features like Control Center, Siri, Camera and etc., and it also prevents unauthorized access to your private contents on iPhone or iPad. You can absolutely change the wallpaper for Lock screen, but you can also enable or disable many features on Lock screen according to your needs. Now, let's look through how to customize Lock screen on different aspects for iPhone or iPad in iOS 26/18/17/16 together.

Part 1: How to Change Lock Screen Wallpaper on iPhone/iPad

Feel tired of Apple's default wallpaper on Lock screen on your iPhone or iPad? Then change it. You can change it to another picture from Apple's gallery, either a motion wallpaper or a Live Photo that animates when you 3D Touch it (if your iDevice supports it).

Step 1: Go to "Settings" > "Wallpaper" > "Choose a New Wallpaper", and you might choose a new wallpaper from different sources, including:

• Dynamic: Images with bubbles that float around screen and changes when your device motions;
• Stills: Still images provides by Apple gallery;
• Live: Live photos offered by Apple and the image animates when you press the display on Lock screen. (Only available for devices supporting 3D Touch.)
• Libraries: All pictures stored on your Photos app, including the photos you have taken or downloaded. (How to Remove Camera from Lock Screen on iPhone??)

Step 2: After selecting an image you like, you might choose to display the wallpaper in different ways:

• Still: Display the still wallpaper without dynamic effects.
• Perspective: Display the wallpaper in the way that image moves slightly when you tilt the screen.
• Live Photo: Display the image like Live photo animates.

Step 3: After choosing the way you want to display the wallpaper, tap "Set" option. Then a pop-up window will ask you whether you would like to set the image as wallpaper for Lock screen, Home screen or both.

Part 2: How to Adjust Auto-Lock Time on iPhone/iPad

By default, to save power on your iPhone or iPad, your device will be automatically locked after 2 minutes if there is no motion. Although you can turn off the screen at any time with the Sleep/Wake button on iPhone or iPad, you can also extend or shorten the time when the screen automatically locks.

Go to "Settings" > "Display & Brightness" > "Auto Lock", and select the time how long you want to lock your screen automatically, such as 30 Seconds, 1 Minute, 2 Minutes, 3 Minutes, 4 Minutes, 5 Minutes, Never.

Note: When you iPhone or iPad is in Power Saver Mode, you are not able to change Auto-Lock time.

Part 3: How to Customize Control Center from the Lock Screen

The Control Center lets you quickly access important features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flashlight, and camera—even when your device is locked. You can customize what appears in the Control Center and decide whether it's accessible from the lock screen.

How to Customize Control Center

1. Go to the "Settings" app.
2. Scroll down and select "Control Center".
3. Tap the "+" button to add new controls, and tap the "-" button to remove unwanted ones
4. Press and hold the three-line icon next to a control and drag it to your preferred position.

How to Enable or Disable Access from Lock Screen

1. Open "Settings".
2. Tap "Face ID & Passcode" (or "Touch ID & Passcode").
3. Enter your passcode.
4. Scroll to "Allow Access When Locked".
5. Toggle Control Center on or off.

Part 4: How to Manage Lock Screen Notifications Selectively

When iPhone or iPad is locked, the received notifications still pop up on screen whenever someone send you a message or anything new comes up on an application. Sometimes it is good, but sometimes it is annoying. So how to adjust the notifications popping up on the Lock screen?

Step 1. Go to "Settings" on your iPhone or iPad.

Step 2. Enter "Notifications" section where you can see all the applications that will pop up notifications on Lock screen, including iTunes Store, Mail, Maps, Messages, News, Phones, Podcasts and etc..

Step 3. Under Notifications page, tap every app that you want to disable notifications on Lock screen, and switch off the feature named "Show on Lock Screen".

Part 5: How to Turn Off Raise to Wake on iPhone/iPad

The Raise to Wake, which is a feature available on iPhone, allows to automatically wake up your screen once you pick the phone up without pressing any button. It is easier for users to check the notifications but if you don't want this happen, you can also disable it on Settings.

Simply go to "Settings" > "Display & Brightness" > "Raise to Wake" and turn it off.

Part 6: How to Change Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode Settings

You can further customize the Lock screen by changing Touch ID & Passcode settings. The new Lock screen enables you to view notifications and more without unlocking your device. You can go to "Settings" > "Touch ID & Passcode" on your iPhone or iPad to choose what items you want to see by enabling or disabling the features under "ALLOW ACCESS WHEN LOCKED" section.

• Today View: This feature allows you to search and preview information like news, weather, upcoming calendar events on Lock screen.
• Recent Notifications: Recent notifications will pop up on your Lock screen automatically.
• Reply with Message: When you receive a voice message from iMessage, you will receive a notification on Lock screen and you can directly rely from Lock screen.
• Home Control: It is a Homekit option to control smart home accessories from Lock screen.
• Wallet: When Wallet feature is enabled, things like boarding pass, movies tickets will pop up on Lock screen when you are going to check in at the airport or see a movie.
• Return Missed Calls: You can return your missed phone calls directly on Lock screen.

Part 7: How to Add Widgets to Lock Screen

Adding widgets to your lock screen makes it more useful. You can quickly check information like weather, calendar events, battery level, and more—without unlocking your device.

1. Turn on the screen, but stay on the lock screen.
2. Long-press anywhere on the lock screen until the customization menu appears.
3. Select "Customize", then tap the "Lock Screen" preview.
4. Tap the box below the clock (or above it) to open the widget panel.
5. Tap the widgets you want, or drag them into the widget area. You can add multiple small widgets or one larger widget.
6. Drag widgets to reorder them, and tap the "-" icon to remove any widget
7. Tap "Done" to apply your customized lock screen.

Part 8: How to Customize Lock Screen Fonts and Colors

Changing the font style and color on your lock screen is a simple way to make your iPhone or iPad look more personal. You can adjust the clock font, color, and even add visual effects to match your wallpaper.

1. Turn on your screen and stay on the lock screen.
2. Long-press the screen until the wallpaper gallery appears.
3. Select "Customize", then tap the "Lock Screen" preview.
4. Tap the time display to open the font and color options.
5. Swipe through different font styles and pick the one you like.
6. Now, you can change the color: Select from preset colors, or use the color picker to choose a custom color, and adjust the slider to make it lighter or darker.
7. Tap "Done" to save your new lock screen style.

Conclusion

Customizing your iPhone or iPad lock screen is an easy way to make your device feel personal and more functional. From changing wallpapers and adjusting widgets to tweaking fonts, colors, and the Control Center, each setting lets you design a lock screen that suits your style and daily needs. By exploring these options, you can create a lock screen that's not only visually appealing but also practical, helping you quickly access the information and tools you use most. A few simple tweaks can make your device feel entirely yours.

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