iOS 26 continues to add many new ways To customize your iPhone, however, one of my favorites was in the first 26.0 release: 3D spatial wallpapers. Here’s how to use this feature.
How to apply 3D spatial effect for iPhone wallpaper in iOS 26
Your iPhone wallpaper is one of the best ways to personalize your device for you. And in iOS 26 Apple introduced fun new 3D effect for wallpapers.
According to Apple’s official iOS 26 release notes:
Spatial scenes let you add a new 3D effect to your photo wallpapers by animating them when you move your iPhone.
An example of how this looks in practice:
Cooking has the same effect Photos program Popular in iOS 26 and Photos Home screen widget.
In my experience, this 3D space effect really shines when applied to an iPhone wallpaper.
When creating a new wallpaper in iOS 26, you’ll see a range of wallpapers offered under the “Location Scenes” heading. If one of these catches your eye, you can tap to select it and the location effect will be applied automatically.
But if you want, you can choose almost manually any picture in your Apple Photos library to get a 3D effect when used as wallpaper.
Just follow these steps:
- In Settings ⇾ Wallpaper, click the “Add New Wallpaper” button
- Click on ‘Images’ at the top left
- Select the image you want to use
- Tap the geometric shape icon near the bottom right of the screen (pictured above)
- After the location scene is created, test the effect by moving your iPhone from side to side
- Click “Add” to save the wallpaper
It’s a small touch, but it’s fun to liven up your wallpaper every time you pick up your iPhone.
Are you currently using 3D space effect for iPhone wallpaper? If not, why not? Let us know in the comments.
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