Updated 9/12/22: iOS 16 is now available to the general public.
If you’re like most iPhone users, you probably have a massive collection of photos in your Photos library. And while you’ve always been able to set a single image as your wallpaper, it’s a manual process. Plus, if you want to change the image, you have to go through the hassle of selecting a new one.
For those of us with thousands of photos, this can be quite inconvenient. But fear not, iOS 16 has introduced a new feature called Photo Shuffle wallpaper.
What is Photo Shuffle Wallpaper?
In iOS 16, Apple has added the new Photo Shuffle wallpaper feature as part of the lock screen customizations. When enabled, Photo Shuffle sifts through your Photos library and selects the best images in the categories you choose. These images are then displayed on your lock screen on a schedule that you can determine.
Think of it as having a ever-changing gallery of your best images right on your lock screen!
How to Enable Photo Shuffle Wallpaper
To use the Photo Shuffle Wallpaper feature, you’ll need to be running iOS 16 on your device. If you haven’t updated to iOS 16 yet, you can do so by following the instructions on the Apple website.
Once you’re running iOS 16, here’s how you can enable Photo Shuffle Wallpaper:
- Long press on your iPhone’s lock screen.
- Scroll to the right and click “Add New” or customize your current wallpaper.
- Scroll down and you’ll see “Suggested Photos.” These are images that iOS 16 has selected from your Photos library as wallpaper-worthy. You can choose one of these images as a static wallpaper, or use this section as a preview to see the kinds of pictures iOS 16 has selected.
- Just below “Suggested Photos” is the “Photo Shuffle” option. Select it.
- Choose the categories of pictures you want iOS 16 to feature on your lock screen.
- Click “Done.”
That’s it! You now have an ever-changing gallery of your best images displayed on your lock screen.
Improving Photo Selection
If you find that the selected images in your Photo Shuffle wallpaper aren’t to your liking, don’t worry! There are a few ways to optimize the images that appear:
During the setup process, if you’re using the People category, make sure to click “Choose” to ensure the right people are selected. You can also make adjustments in your Photos app’s People category if needed.
Additionally, you can train Photo Shuffle to pick better images. When you see an image on your lock screen that you’d rather not see again, long press your wallpaper and click “Customize.” Then, navigate to the picture you want to remove from the rotation and click the “…” icon. From there, choose “Don’t Feature Photo” and click “Done.” iOS 16 will save your preferences and remove the image from the wallpaper rotation.
Don’t worry though, if you delete a photo, Photo Shuffle will still look for additional images of the subjects you’ve selected and add those to the wallpaper rotation.
If none of these options work, you can manually select the images you want iOS 16 to shuffle through.
Wrap Up
Overall, Photo Shuffle is a fun and engaging way to interact with your Photos library. It allows you to rediscover forgotten images and enjoy a dynamic lock screen experience. You can adjust the duration to see more or less images over time, or even set it to change every time you tap or wake up your iPhone.
While there’s currently no option to view the full photo in the Photos app, Photo Shuffle is still a favorite feature among iOS 16 users. Give it a try and see how it brings your lock screen to life!
For more tips and tricks about iOS 16 and other educational content, visit Abstract Education.
