How to Set a Live Wallpaper on iPhone (Step-by-Step, 2026)
iPhone lock screens animate using Apple's Live Photo format. There's no way for a website to produce a true Live Photo file directly — that final step needs an iOS app — but the full path from "video I love" to "animated lock screen" takes about three minutes. Here's exactly how.
Step 1 — Prepare your clip
Open the video to live wallpaper converter, upload your video (or pick one from the free gallery), crop it to full screen, and trim it to under 5 seconds — that's the Live Photo limit. Export and save the clip to your iPhone via direct download, AirDrop or iCloud.
Step 2 — Convert to Live Photo with intoLive
- Install the free intoLive app from the App Store.
- Open intoLive and select your exported clip from Photos or Files.
- Tap Make (top right), choose "Save as Live Photo", and it lands in your Photos library.
Step 3 — Set it as your wallpaper
- Go to
Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper.
- Choose Live Photo and pick your converted photo.
- Set it as the Lock Screen, then press and hold the lock screen to watch it animate.
Troubleshooting: "my wallpaper doesn't move"
- Low Power Mode disables Live Photo playback — charge up or turn it off.
- Make sure the Live toggle (concentric circles) was on when you set the wallpaper.
- On iOS 17 and newer, the animation plays when you press and hold the lock screen, not automatically.
- Clips longer than ~5 seconds get truncated — trim shorter and reconvert.
Make your iPhone live wallpaper →