iOS 16 Lock Screen: The ultimate guide

iOS 16 has been available to the public for a few days now, with a fresh look and plenty of features. One of these is the ability to create customised lock screens.

We are here to give you all the information you need about how lock screens work in Apple's new operating system.

How to customise your iPhone's lock screen in iOS 16

• With iOS 16, press and hold the lock screen
• If you are using an old wallpaper, you will need to create a new one to create a customised lock screen
• Tap the blue «+» icon in the bottom-right corner
• Choose a wallpaper from the categories at the top or swipe down to see all the options
• Tap the «+» icon below the time to choose widgets
• Suggested widgets are at the top, with more options by category below
• Tap the time to customise the font and colour
• Tap the date to add a widget at the top

If you tap the «Customise» button on an old wallpaper, you will be prompted to «Add New» to continue.

Photos can look wonderfully crisp on the new lock screen, and you can even set it to cycle through your photos with the «Photo Shuffle» wallpaper.

You can also add up to 4 small widgets, 2 small and 1 medium widget, or 2 medium widgets in the lower area of the lock screen.

The quickest way to add widgets is by tapping them, but you can drag and drop them if you want more precise control over their placement.

Tap the time to customise the font and colour. Swipe from right to left to reveal more colour options, as well as the full colour palette for a completely customised shade.

You can also add 1 widget to the day/date section. Tap it to make a selection.

Tap the three-dot icon at the bottom right to enable perspective zoom, and tap «Done» in the top-right corner when you have finished.

Return to the main lock screen customisation page. You can also tap «Focus» at the bottom to link a page to that particular lock screen.

How lock screen widgets work

Once you have placed widgets on the lock screen, they will display live data. However, like home screen widgets, they are not directly interactive: tapping them will take you to the corresponding app (Calendar, Weather, Reminders, etc.).

How many iOS 16 lock screens you can create

At any time, you can tap «Customise» to edit a lock screen or tap the blue «+» icon to create a new one.

How to switch lock screens

As with Apple Watch faces, once you have several lock screens, it is easy to switch between them by pressing and holding the lock screen and swiping to choose a different one.

Lock screens and battery life

The new Weather and Astronomy wallpapers in iOS 16 are truly impressive, but bear in mind that they will request access to your location (which may be updated as often as every 15 minutes), which could affect your iPhone's battery life.