Changing the wallpaper or background on your iPhone and iPad is a great way to update the appearance of your device, especially with the cool Dark Mode Apple wallpaper options to choose from. To use this tip, be sure you've updated your device to at least iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 so that you can turn on Dark Mode and find the new Dark Mode wallpaper selection. iOS 14 is the newest operating system, so it's best to update to iOS 14 if you're looking to stay up to date. Let's get started finding and changing our device's wallpaper to a Dark Mode option.
Lock Screen
How to Change Background on iPhone & iPad (iOS 15 Update)
By Conner Carey
Cool iPad wallpapers and iPhone backgrounds can make your device feel brand new again! We'll walk you through finding cool iPhone wallpapers for free, perfect for any model and device. We'll also cover how to set up wallpapers on the iPad and iPhone Lock screens and backgrounds, including custom backgrounds and live or dynamic wallpapers.
What is Voice Dial + How to Turn It Off on iPhone
By Conner Carey
When you allow Siri to be accessed from your Lock screen, you may want to consider what Siri is capable of doing without unlocking your device. For example, let’s say you’re in a room with multiple other people. If one of them were to activate Siri when you have Voice Dial turned on, they could tell Siri to call someone without needing your passcode. But if you have Voice Dial turned off, Siri won’t make the call until you enter your iPhone’s passcode. This may or may not be important to you, but it’s good to know what can and cannot be accessed from Lock screen. Here’s how to turn Voice Dial off on iPhone.
How to Set Persistent Notifications on the iPhone
By Erin MacPherson
Do your iPhone lock screen notifications disappear before you’ve even had a chance to read them? Persistent banner style keeps your notifications visible until you close them. We'll show you how to set persistent notifications for the apps that matter to you.
How to Put Your Emergency Info on Your iPhone Lock Screen
By Sarah Kingsbury
People are asking how to put their emergency info on the Lock screen of their iPhones. If you have a medical issue such as a seizure disorder, cardiac condition, or similar problem that may leave you unable to communicate with medics and other first responders, it's important to have a simple method they can use to understand your situation so they can best help you. While a medical alert bracelet, ID bracelet, or even a medical ID card in your wallet may help in an emergency, there's one more tool you can use to ensure you receive the prompt care you need—your iPhone! Even if you keep your iPhone locked with a passcode or Touch or Face ID, it's still possible to have your Medical ID visible on your smartphone so that bystanders and emergency personnel can assist you in a medical emergency. Let's get started learning how to get the Medical ID on the Lock screen of your iPhone.
How to Reply to & Dismiss Notifications in iOS 11 on iPhone
By Conner Carey
The times they are a changin’ with iOS 11. If you want to reply to notifications from Lock screen on your 3D Touch compatible iPhone, you’ll need to use 3D Touch. Older models have the good ‘ol Swipe to Reply feature in place, which we’ll also go over. However, rich notifications from Lock screen in iOS 11 allows you to do a lot more. The notification on your Lock screen can easily be responded to using either 3D Touch or by swiping left. This is one of the ways Apple is incorporating 3D Touch into more and more places on the iPhone. Here’s how to respond to notifications in iOS 11.
Find an iPhone or iPad? Siri Will Tell You Who Owns It
By Jim Karpen
I've had the experience of finding a smartphone and having a hard time figuring out who the owner is. It always seems urgent, since I know the owner is desperately looking for it. Should you find a lost iPhone or iPad, you can simply ask Siri who the owner is. Siri will tell you the owner and show contact information. Here’s how to return a lost iPhone or iPad to its rightful owner.
How to Disable Access to Control Center from Lock Screen
By Sarah Kingsbury
Control Center is great because it allows you to quickly do all kinds of useful things like turn Wi-Fi, Airplane Mode, and Do Not Disturb on or off, lock your screen orientation, control playback, adjust volume levels, open your phone's calculator, and use your iPhone as a flashlight. However, some people worry about privacy when Control Center is accessible from Lock Screen (although, rest assured, nothing private can be opened without unlocking your phone), and others get tired of accidentally opening Control Center in an app while playing a game. Which is why Apple made it possible to turn off access to Control Center from Lock screen and within apps. Here’s how to disable access to Control Center from Lock Screen.
How to Search Your iPhone from the Lock Screen
By Conner Carey
Part of iOS 10 on the iPhone is having a widget screen that’s to the left of your Lock Screen. The widgets screen allows you to see snapshots of certain apps and information. But you can use the search bar at the top to do a phone-wide search for Mail, Notes, websites, apps, wikipedia pages, movies, Twitter, and more. Don’t worry about privacy—you’ll have to unlock your phone before accessing the information. But if you know what you’re looking for, this feature can save you some time getting there. Here’s how to search your iPhone from the Lock Screen.
iOS 10 on iPhone added a fresh Widgets screen, available with a right swipe from Lock Screen or Home Screen. On this Widgets screen, you can choose what information is displayed. If you allow Maps Nearby to be active, you can easily search for nearby locations with Lunch, Coffee, Shopping, Gas, and more. Searching for nearby maps locations from the Widgets screen in iOS 10 jumps right to the information you need once you’ve unlocked your iPhone. Here’s how to search nearby locations from Widgets screen in iOS 10.
Siri is an awesome time saver. Want to view your most recent calls, text someone, get directions, or post to Facebook? Just ask Siri. You can even do all this from your lock screen. The problem is, so can anyone else. If your settings allow for it, anyone can access your call history, send a tweet, or get directions to a contact's home from your lock screen just by bringing up Siri and asking.
How to Control Apple Music from Lock Screen
By Jim Karpen
When you’re playing music from your iPhone, you’ll notice the Lock screen will provide information on the song playing as well as some added controls. It doesn’t matter if you’re listening to playlist, your music library, or streaming Beats radio — the Lock screen will look roughly the same. Here’s how to control Apple Music from Lock screen.