iOS 26 adds stunning 3D Spatial Wallpapers: your photos come alive

iOS 26 is now available to supported iPhones, and alongside the cool new visual effects thanks to Liquid Glass, you also have a new 3D (Spatial) Wallpaper feature. The feature brings your Lock Screen to life: it adds depth and parallax movements to your photos. 

iOS 26 brings Spatial Wallpapers to iPhone 

The new feature allows you to shake things up on your Lock Screen wallpaper. With it, when you tilt or move your iPhone, elements in the wallpaper subtly shift, and thus you have a layered 3D illusion. And it looks amazing. 

How to set up Spatial Wallpapers on iPhone with iOS 26

First off, you have to choose a suitable wallpaper. Not every photo will support the 3D effect. Choose a photo that has clear depth, like portrait images, objects in the foreground, or a landscape. Then, here’s how to set it up:

1. Long-press on the Lock Screen to enter customization mode
2. Tap the “+” (Add New) button 
3. Select Photos from your gallery and pick your photo 
4. Tap on the “3D” or “Spatial” button at the bottom of the screen 
5. Then, set up the wallpaper as usual, add widgets of your choice
6. Tap on “Add” on the top right, then “Set as Wallpaper Pair” and enjoy!

It’s important to note once again that not all photos support the 3D effect. Also, if you have Low Power Mode enabled or if you have reduced motion on your iPhone, the effects may not be visible. Moreover, the feature would work best with newer iPhone models, like the iPhone 13 and later. 

Once it’s set up, when you tilt your iPhone, the background behind your subject should move. It’s a very cool effect! 

iOS 26 brings quite a lot of gorgeousness to your iPhone

iOS 26‘s new Liquid Glass design is beautiful, and the Spatial Wallpapers bring more fun to it as well. With this big update, iPhone fans get to enjoy a more customizable phone, the little tweaks with the Liquid Glass animations, and this new wallpaper option elevate the experience on an iPhone even further. 

iOS 26 is shaping up to be my favorite iOS version so far 

I’m really into looks, and I appreciate very much that Apple is uniting all its OSes with a consistent look and theme. So far, haven’t updated my Mac yet (laziness), but I’ve been loving the experience on my iPhone. I’m usually skeptical about redesigns, but ever since I saw the new Liquid Glass look during WWDC 2025, I was excited to try it out. 

And so far, it doesn’t disappoint one bit! 

“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!

Rediscover some of the most unique and memorable phones of the last two decades! “Iconic Phones” is a beautifully illustrated book that we’ve been working on for over a year – and it’s coming out in just a couple short month!