Apple surprised iPhone users last year when they released iOS 16 with major improvements and changes to the lock screen, including new wallpaper options and more personalization like emoji, weather, and so on. However, one glaring omission was support for live wallpapers. Thankfully, Apple addressed this in the iOS 17 update, bringing dynamic live wallpapers back. You can even create your own live wallpapers on your iPhone now. But if you’re having trouble setting them up or wondering why they aren’t working, this guide will help you troubleshoot and fix the issues.
How to Enable Live Wallpapers on iOS 17
Live wallpapers are now natively supported on iOS 17, but you’ll need to enable them first. Here are the steps:
The iPhone models that support iOS 17 and live wallpapers are:
- iPhone 15/15 Plus/15 Pro/15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14/14 Plus/14 Pro/14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13/13 Mini/13 Pro/13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12/12 Mini/12 Pro/12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max
- iPhone XR/XS/XS Max
Step to set Live Wallpaper on iPhone:
- To create a live photo, take a few pictures with the iPhone camera and select the “Live” option in the top right corner. This will capture around 2.5 seconds of motion.
- Next, click the share button in the bottom left and select “Use as Wallpaper” to add the live animation to your lock screen. A toggle switch in the bottom right corner will start/stop the auto play.
- Press the power button to turn off the screen, then turn it back on. The wallpaper should now play automatically.
- You can also enable live wallpapers from Settings. Go to Wallpapers => Choose a New Wallpaper and select a photo. Toggle on “Perspective Zoom” for a parallax effect.
Fix1: Check Your iPhone Model
If you don’t see the motion toggle when selecting a wallpaper, it likely means your iPhone model doesn’t support live wallpapers.
Only iPhone models with 3D Touch or Haptic Touch can use live wallpapers. Older iPhones like the iPhone 7 and below cannot enable live wallpapers.
Check your iPhone model to confirm if it supports the feature. If not, you won’t be able to use live wallpapers unfortunately.
Fix2: Turn Off Reduce Motion
If your iPhone model does support live wallpapers, another reason it may not be working is if Reduce Motion is enabled.
Reduce Motion disables certain iOS visual effects, and this includes live wallpapers.
To turn it off:
- Go to Settings => Accessibility => Motion
- Toggle off “Reduce Motion”
This will re-enable live wallpaper effects.
Fix3: Downgrade to iOS 16
If live wallpapers still don’t work even after the above steps, it’s likely a bug introduced in iOS 17. Downgrading back to iOS 16 can fix the issue for now while waiting for Apple to patch it.
Apple doesn’t support downgrading, so you will have to use third-party apps that allow you to install downloaded firmware on your iOS device. Downgrading is the best short-term fix if live wallpapers are still buggy in iOS 17. Wait for Apple to release software updates that patch the bugs before updating again.
Conclusion
That covers the main reasons live wallpapers may not be working in iOS 17 and how to troubleshoot them – from enabling the feature, checking iPhone model compatibility, turning off Reduce Motion, and downgrading iOS. With the right device and settings, you can enjoy cool live wallpapers to make your iPhone lock screen more personalized. Let us know if you have any other questions.