Five Wallpaper Apps to Check Out for iOS 16's New Lock Screen Depth Effect

One of the biggest new features in iOS 16 is a completely redesigned iPhone Lock Screen. The new Lock Screen is entirely customizable, letting you change the colors and fonts, add widgets and new wallpapers, and more to make your ‌iPhone‌ uniquely yours.

iOS 16 Wallpaper Spectrum Feature
Of course, even before iOS 16, you could customize your Lock Screen with a wallpaper of your choice. iOS 16 takes the Lock Screen wallpaper experience even further by introducing a new effect to images. With iOS 16, users can choose a new multilayered effect for wallpapers so that the subject of the photos is set in front of the time, creating a depth effect.

iOS 16 will automatically suggest wallpaper photos for you based on your own personal Photos library, but some users may want even more choices. To help, we've rounded up five apps to check out that offer wallpapers that work with iOS 16's new Lock Screen depth effect.

Note: All apps are free to download and use, but most offer in-app purchases for an ad-free experience and to unlock premium wallpapers.

In addition to new depth effect wallpapers, users can customize the font and color of the time and date on the Lock Screen. Additionally, users can now add widgets to their Lock Screen, offering timely information without needing to unlock their phone. A growing number of third-party apps have introduced iOS 16 Lock Screen widget support, and you can check some of the early additions in our guide.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...

Top Rated Comments

Pro_the_legend Avatar
40 months ago
I miss the device exclusive wallpapers…
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nikhsub1 Avatar
40 months ago
These type of apps I avoid like the plague. Call me crazy.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AbSoluTc Avatar
40 months ago
Unless MR can validate and guarantee these apps for it's user base, they should not be recommending them. These types of apps are riddled with ads, spam, in app purchases and other junk. I stay very far away.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
40 months ago
You had me at Cats.

?????

P.S. Don't judge me people!!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jcshas Avatar
40 months ago

I miss the device exclusive wallpapers…
Me too. I wish Apple would not have eliminated my entire wallpaper gallery when I upgraded to iOS 16.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
40 months ago
I need that cat wallpaper right now!!! ?

I would take the cat too.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)