How to Set a Live Wallpaper on iPhone 14 (iOS 16+)
Set a live wallpaper on iPhone 14 running iOS 16 or later. Save to Photos, open Settings > Wallpaper, and apply it in under a minute.
The iPhone 14 shipped alongside iOS 16, which is the exact release that rebuilt the lock screen and made Live Photo wallpapers a first-class feature. So out of the box, your 14 is built for this. Below is the full process, plus the things that are specific to the iPhone 14 hardware.
The iPhone 14 setup
There’s an important split in the iPhone 14 line. The standard iPhone 14 and 14 Plus use a 60Hz OLED display and keep the notch. The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max were the first iPhones with both ProMotion (an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz) and the Dynamic Island that replaced the notch. For live wallpapers, the refresh rate barely matters — the motion is a short touch-triggered loop — but if you have a Pro, the Dynamic Island sits over the top of your wallpaper, so busy detail near the top center can get partially covered.
All four models run iOS 16 through iOS 26. Since the 14 family never shipped earlier than 16, you don’t have to worry about the older lock-screen system at all; the steps here apply to every iPhone 14 regardless of which iOS update it’s on.
Applying a live wallpaper
You need a Live Photo or short video in your Photos library. The free Wallpaper Hub app keeps a stocked live wallpaper section, or you can use one you’ve shot yourself.
- Open the live wallpaper in Wallpaper Hub and tap Save to Photos — it saves as a Live Photo or clip to your Camera Roll.
- Open Settings, tap Wallpaper, then Add New Wallpaper.
- Choose Photos at the top of the gallery and select the file you saved. The Live badge marks animated entries.
- Reposition with a drag if you like, then tap Add.
- Tap Set as Wallpaper Pair to apply it to both screens, or set the home screen separately afterward.
To preview the motion, wake the lock screen and touch and hold it. The clip plays on press and then settles — live wallpapers don’t loop continuously, which keeps the power cost low.
Filming your own on the 14
Every iPhone 14 captures Live Photos when the circular Live icon is active in the Camera app. The 14’s Photonic Engine improves low-light capture, so dim, moody clips (city lights, a fireplace) hold up better than they would on older models — useful when you want a dark wallpaper that uses the OLED’s true blacks. Keep the motion gentle and loopable, since the wallpaper plays only a few seconds.
Want something original instead? The AI generator in Wallpaper Hub builds an image from a text prompt, and the editor lets you frame it for the 14’s resolution — and on a Pro, lets you keep key subjects clear of the Dynamic Island zone.
Troubleshooting
It won’t animate on touch. Check Low Power Mode first; live wallpapers pause when it’s on (the battery glyph turns yellow). If power mode is fine, you may have applied a still — re-add the file and verify the Live badge in the picker.
The crop is too tight. iOS zooms during placement. Re-add and pinch outward until the full frame fits before tapping Add.
Dynamic Island is covering part of it (Pro models). That’s expected — the Island is always present on 14 Pro and Pro Max. Re-add and shift the subject lower so it clears the top center.
The saved file isn’t showing. Indexing can take a moment. Exit Settings, wait roughly 30 seconds, and reopen Add New Wallpaper.
Common questions
Does it hurt battery life? Not meaningfully. The animation fires only on touch, so it costs far less than a constantly running video. The battery deep-dive has the details.
Can the home screen stay static? Yes. After setting the live lock screen, tap Customize Home Screen and choose a still or solid color.
Is the process different on a 14 Pro versus a 14? The steps are identical. The only real difference is the Dynamic Island overlapping the top of the wallpaper on Pro models.
Related reading
- How to Set Different Wallpapers for Home and Lock
- What is the Depth Effect on iPhone Wallpapers?
- Browse the wallpaper library or pick a style
Wallpaper Hub rolls live wallpapers, an AI generator, an editor, charging animations, and ringtones into a single free app for the iPhone 14.