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You are here: Home / iPhone / Live Wallpapers Not Working on iPhone, How-to Fix
Live Wallpapers Not Working on iPhone, How-to Fix

Live Wallpapers Not Working on iPhone, How-to Fix

By Dan Helyer 14 comments Last updated September 21, 2019

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Having trouble adding some personality to your iPhone when using live wallpapers? Can’t figure out how to add movement to your iPhone’s Lock Screen? Keep reading to learn how to set-up, use, and troubleshoot your Live Wallpapers today!

Contents

  • 1 Quick Tips 
    • 1.1 Related Posts:
  • 2 Live Wallpapers Using an iPhone XR or SE?
    • 2.1 Use a Dynamic Wallpaper on Your iPhone
    • 2.2 What’s The Difference Between Live Wallpapers and Dynamic Wallpapers?
    • 2.3 How To Play Dynamic and Live Wallpapers
  • 3 Live Wallpapers and iPhone XR on iOS 13
  • 4 Live Wallpaper Basics
    • 4.1 There are a couple of common mistakes people make with Live Wallpapers
    • 4.2 Check That Your Selected Photo is “Live”
  • 5 How to Fix Your Live Wallpaper
    • 5.1 Restart Your iPhone
  • 6 Low Power Mode Could Be Causing Problems 
    • 6.1 Turn Off Low Power Mode
  • 7 Try Changing to a Different Wallpaper
    • 7.1 Change to a Default Still Wallpaper
    • 7.2 Change to a Default Live Wallpaper
  • 8 Check the Reduce Motion Settings
    • 8.1 3D Touch Needs to Be Turned On
  • 9 Find the Best Live Wallpapers
  • 10 Reader Tips 
    • 10.1 Related Posts:

Quick Tips 

Follow These Quick Tips to Fix Your Live Wallpapers

  • Make sure that the photo you select for your Live Wallpaper is a “Live” Photo
  • Restart your iPhone
  • Disable Low Power Mode
  • Turn off Reduce Motion
  • Enable 3D Touch, if available on your device
  • Set back to a regular static wallpaper image
  • Change to a different live photo for your wallpaper
  • Make sure your iPhone is model iPhone 6S or newer

Related Posts:

  • Live Photos on iPhone, A Complete Guide – 2018
  • When Using 3D Touch on Your iPhone Makes Sense: 12 Tips

Live Wallpapers Using an iPhone XR or SE?

Unfortunately, the iPhone XR and iPhone SE currently do not support live wallpapers! That’s mainly due to its lack of 3D Touch.

When you select a live photo for your wallpaper on an iPhone XR or SE, it shows on the lock screen as a still image.

However, there is are options for Dynamic Wallpapers, which simulate motion. But unlike Live Photos, you can’t create your own dynamic wallpapers!

Use a Dynamic Wallpaper on Your iPhone

  1. Go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper
  2. Tap Dynamic
  3. Select one of the available dynamic wallpapers
  4. Choose Set

What’s The Difference Between Live Wallpapers and Dynamic Wallpapers?

  • Live Wallpapers animate when you 3D Touch them. Since they need 3D Touch, Live Wallpapers are only available on iPhones with that feature–so it’s not available on the iPhone XR or SE. You can create your own live images to use as Live Wallpapers. However, Live Wallpapers only work on the Lock screen. On your Home screen, Live Wallpapers are still images
  • Dynamic Wallpapers are animated images that play on a loop and they work on both the Home and Lock screens! And unlike Live Wallpapers, they don’t require 3D Touch. Unlike Live Wallpapers, you can’t create your own Dynamic Wallpapers

Be aware that Dynamic Wallpapers use a lot of power!

How To Play Dynamic and Live Wallpapers

  1. Dynamic. The animation plays automatically on your Lock or Home screen
  2. Live. On the Lock screen, 3D Touch and hold until the live image starts animating

Live Wallpapers and iPhone XR on iOS 13

Many users had to give up their live wall-papers after upgrading to iPhone XR, When they upgraded from iPhone 7.

There isn’t a direct way to set Live wallpapers in iOS 13, however a workaround gets you there if you are on iOS 13 and above.

  • Tap on Settings > Wallpaper
  • Select choose a new wallpaperSet up Live wallpapers on iPhone XR using iOS 13
  • Go to the Live Photos album instead of the regular photosLive Photos on iOS 13 as wallpaper
  • Choose a Live photo to set up as Wallpaper

Not the best, but still accomplishes a live wallpaper by using one of the live photos captured on your device.

Live Wallpaper Basics

Live Wallpapers have been around since the iPhone 6S and add a magical flair to your phone. However, they don’t always work correctly. So if you’ve got a problem with your Live Wallpaper, this post shows you exactly how to fix it!

There are a couple of common mistakes people make with Live Wallpapers

  • First, a Live Wallpaper only works from your Lock Screen—not from your Home Screen—and to activate it you need to press firmly and engage 3D Touch
  • Second, the image selected needs to be either a Live Photo or one of your iDevice’s default Live Wallpaper
  • The iPhone XR does not support live wallpaper (due to no 3D Touch feature)

Check That Your Selected Photo is “Live”

Go to Settings > Wallpaper, and tap on the Wallpaper screen, verify that the image is a “Live Photo” and not a Still or Perspective picture.

If you know all that and still can’t get it to work, check out these easy steps below and learn just how to fix it.

How to Fix Your Live Wallpaper

Restart Your iPhone

Whatever issue you may have with your iPhone, the easiest fix is to restart it. This is also true for Live Wallpaper problems, so try a quick restart before anything else and see if it helps.

How you restart depends on your model

  • For iPhone 8 and below, iPads, and iPod Touch
    • Press and hold the Top or Side button until the slider appears
    • Swipe the slider to the other side to turn your device completely off
    • To turn it back on, press and hold the Top or Side button again
  • For iPhone X Series (iPhone XS/X)
    • Press and hold the Side button and either volume button until the slider appears
    • Swipe the slider to the other side to turn your device completely off
    • To turn your iPhone X Series back on, press and hold the Side button again
  • Using iOS 11 and above
    • Turn off ANY device, regardless of model, by going to Settings > General> Shut Down

Low Power Mode Could Be Causing Problems Live Wallpapers Not Working on iPhone, How-to Fix

Is the battery icon at the top of your display yellow? You might have Low Power Mode turned on.

This shouldn’t make a difference because Low Power Mode doesn’t deactivate Live Wallpapers, but sound logic doesn’t always help with technical issues. Many users have reported Low Power Mode as the cause of their problems.

Turn Off Low Power Mode

  1. Go to Settings > Battery
  2. Tap to turn off Low Power Mode
  3. Return to your Lock Screen and test the Live Wallpaper

Turn Off Low Power Mode

Parallax, Live, and Dynamics motion effects are automatically disabled when Low Power Mode is enabled, so that’s why live wallpapers don’t work!

Try Changing to a Different Wallpaper

There could be a problem with your specific wallpaper. You can test it by switching to one of the defaults on your phone. We recommend changing to a Still Wallpaper and then trying a default Live Wallpaper to see if it works.

Change to a Default Still Wallpaper

  1. Go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper
  2. Select Stills and choose any of the default Still Wallpapers
  3. Tap Set > Set Lock Screen (or Set Both)
  4. Return to your Lock Screen to see if it has changed

Change to a Default Live Wallpaper

  1. Go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper
  2. Select Live and choose any of the default Live Wallpapers
  3. Tap Set > Set Lock Screen (or Set Both)
  4. Return to your Lock Screen to see if it has changed

Change to a Different Wallpaper

If the default wallpaper works, there must be a problem with your old wallpaper. Is it definitely a Live Photo?

Check the Reduce Motion Settings

This is a big one and is often responsible for live Wallpapers not working on your device. Tap on General > Accessibility > Scroll down and locate ‘Reduce Motion.’ Make sure that this setting is OFF on your iPhone. Live Wallpapers Not Working on iPhone, How-to Fix

If it’s ON, tap it and toggle it to OFF, restart your device and then check if the wallpapers start their Live animation sequence now.

3D Touch Needs to Be Turned On

Live Wallpapers use 3D Touch to activate. There’s a chance your 3D Touch has been turned off. Follow the steps below to make sure that isn’t the case:

Turn on 3D Touch

  1. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > 3D Touch
  2. Tap to turn on 3D Touch
  3. Adjust the 3D Touch Sensitivity to a level you can use
    1. Try turning the sensitivity to light and use your whole thumb on the lock screen to get the live wallpapers to work

Turn on 3D Touch

Find the Best Live Wallpapers

Now that your Live Wallpaper up and running, it’s time to customize your iPhone with an awesome new background.

Bonus Tip: If you are looking for a wallpaper for your iPhone X/XS Series phone, check out one with a Dark background. The darker pixels on an OLED screen save battery juice compared to the brighter ones.

Finding a high-quality Live Wallpapers is hard

However, you can check out the Apps below for lots of unique options:
  • Wallpapers for Me (Live)
  • Live Wallpapers Now
  • Wallpapers and Themes (Live)
  • Live Wallpapers & Backgrounds

Send us a picture of your favorite Live Wallpapers, and let us know in the comments if need more help!

Reader Tips 

  • When you’re on the Lock screen, press FIRMLY to play and animate the Live Photo
  • For iPhone XR folks, call or contact Apple support and ask them to add Live Photos to the iPhone XR’s Lock Screen in a future iOS update
  • I wasn’t pushing hard enough, or with enough of my finger to enable 3D Touch, so I tried to push harder, and it started working. I usually use a light touch on my screen, so it felt a little weird to use so much force. But it worked!
  • I agree. What worked for me was adjusting the 3D Touch sensitivity to LIGHT. Then make sure you press a little bit harder than normal on your iPhone’s screen while in lock mode or in a preview to see the live wallpapers
  • When I applied a more forceful press, the live wallpapers proceeded to animate
  • I had the same problem when I first received my iPhone X, but once I enabled 3D Touch, live wallpapers were working. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > 3D Touch. After enabling it your live pictures should work

Dan Helyer( Senior Writer )

Dan is a freelance writer based in South West England.

He spent two years supervising repairs as a Genius Admin for Apple Retail and uses that knowledge to keep our troubleshooting guides up to date.

Long before that, Dan turned to Apple products from a musical background. Having owned iPods for years, he bought a MacBook to learn sound recording and production. It was using those skills that he gained a first-class Bachelor of Science in Sound Technology.

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Show 14 Comments

  1. Harry says

    September 15, 2019 at 3:17 PM

    Do you know if the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 pro will have 3-d touch and live wallpapers capability? I would like to know before I purchase, made this mistake with the iPhone XR and don’t want to do that again. Thanks for any help.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      September 15, 2019 at 5:38 PM

      Hi Harry,

      The iPhone 11 does not have 3D Touch but instead replaced this feature with haptic touch (like the XR.) However, Apple does add a lot of haptic touch quick actions in iOS13, so many of the 3D touch capabilities are there.

      It is not clear if the iPhone 11s will support live wallpapers–there isn’t any information about live wallpapers at this time.

      Liz

      Reply
  2. Callie says

    September 13, 2019 at 9:55 PM

    I don’t have an option for live or 3D Touch can you help me turn it on?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      September 14, 2019 at 9:32 AM

      Hi Callie,

      What model of iPhone do you have? To check, go to Settings > General > About.

      Most iPhone models after the iPhone 6s support live wallpapers and 3D Touch; however, neither the iPhone XR or the iPhone SE support Live Wallpapers.

      Reply
  3. Alexandria says

    August 28, 2019 at 12:31 AM

    Is apple going to update and have XR and XS have live wallpaper or no

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      August 28, 2019 at 9:10 AM

      Hi Alexandria,

      The XS support wallpapers but the XR does not.

      To access on an iPhone XR, go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper > Live.

      The XR support dynamic wallpapers-these move continuously rather than just when you tap on it.

      Reply
  4. Sam says

    August 6, 2019 at 4:33 PM

    What if you don’t have an option for Live Photo

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      August 6, 2019 at 7:02 PM

      Hi Sam,

      If you don’t see an option for Live Photo, it’s possible that your model does not support this feature.

      But first, make sure your Camera is set to photo mode when taking a picture. You cannot take Live Photos in any other mode of the Camera

      Live Photos is available on iPhone 6s or later, iPad 5th generation or later, iPad Air 3rd generation+, iPad mini 5th generation+, all models for iPad Pro, and iPod touch 7th generation+.

      To check your model, go to Settings > General > About.

      To learn more about iPad and iPod models, see this article.

      Liz

      Reply
  5. A.K. says

    July 22, 2019 at 10:16 PM

    I can’t get any picture (regular, not live) to show up on my iPhone XR lock screen.

    The default pics don’t really show up either.

    They all have a black screen showing up in front of them, and the picture is hidden in the background. Is that right? Any way to fix it?

    (This phone was not worth the upgrade! I’ve never been so unhappy with apple.)

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      July 23, 2019 at 9:13 AM

      Hi AK,

      First, update your iPhone XR to the latest iOS version–got to Settings > General > Software Update

      Next, close all open apps and then try restarting your device by fully powering off, waiting for 1-2 minutes, and then powering back on.

      Close an app
      1. On an iPhone or an iPad with no home button from the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen
      2. On an iDevice with a home button, double-click the Home button and swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close
      3. Swipe right or left to locate the app you want to close
      4. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it
      5. Repeat for all open apps
      6. Then power off, wait, and power up

      Once done, try setting a picture for your lock screen.

      If that doesn’t work, try resetting all your personalized settings.

      Reset all settings

      * This is usually the last resort since it resets all your personalized features back to factory defaults
      * Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All
      * This resets to default everything in Settings, including notifications, alerts, brightness, and clock settings like wake up alarms
      * Resetting all settings also reverts all your personalized and customized features like wallpapers and accessibility settings back to factory defaults.
      * Performing this action does not impact any of your personal device data, including photos, texts, documents, and other files
      * You need to reconfigure these settings once your iPhone or iDevice restarts

      Reply
  6. John A says

    June 10, 2019 at 2:25 AM

    The steps mentioned here are good. But I have found this app: Live Wallpaper HD for iPhone.

    The instruction is informative & effective. I may be wrong. I am all ears for suggestions.

    Not to mention this app has a live photo converter which is totally free. At least, I can still make live photos from my videos. Thanks.

    Any suggestions are welcome.

    Reply
  7. Jairo says

    March 5, 2019 at 6:16 PM

    Pls add live wallpaper to iPhone XR

    Reply
  8. Robert Veillon says

    December 14, 2018 at 10:17 AM

    I don’t have a 3D Touch option?? iPhone XR

    Reply
    • SK says

      December 14, 2018 at 10:59 AM

      Hi Robert,

      Unfortunately, the iPhone XR does not support live wallpaper (because like you mention it lacks 3D Touch.)

      Sam

      Reply

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