From changing the clock size to using 3D moving wallpapers, iOS 26 adds new ways to personalize your iPhone Lock Screen, and here’s everything you need to know. These new features are also available on an iPad running iPadOS 26.
In case you haven’t already updated your iPhone 11 or later to iOS 26, you can do that from Settings > General > Software Update.
Note that not all features mentioned here are available on all iOS 26 devices.
Make the clock glassy
iOS 26 adopts a new Liquid Glass software design, and this is visible on the Lock Screen as well. From the flashlight and camera controls to the widgets, notifications, and the clock, everything gets a glassy translucent style. The clock in particular has a frosted glass look, with thin strands of light shining on some edges.
Customize your iPhone Lock Screen, tap the clock, and select the Glass style. You can then go with the first option that matches the look of the wallpaper, or pick some other color. If the glass style isn’t for you, tap the Solid option instead.
Adjust the Liquid Glass intensity
iOS 26.2 and later gives you the option to change the Liquid Glass intensity and make the Lock Screen clock appear more or less transparent. Just select the Glass look, then drag the Liquid Glass slider left or right. We have explained the whole process here.
Use another font script for the clock
Compared to iOS 18, iOS 26 seems to have added many more language scripts/font styles for the Lock Screen clock. Start editing your iPhone Lock Screen and tap the clock, followed by the globe icon. Then, select one of the various fonts from different scripts.
Increase the clock size
One of the most notable Lock Screen changes brought forward with iOS 26 is a dynamic clock. When you set a picture as the iPhone wallpaper, you may notice that the clock size has increased automatically. If not, you can drag down the new pull tab under the clock to adjust it manually. Additionally, if you set a photo shuffle wallpaper, the clock size will change automatically based on the subject and background of the picture.
Note: The dynamic Lock Screen clock is only available with the first (far left) font style of the Arabic, Western, Arabic, Eastern, and Devanagari scripts.
Move widgets to the bottom
The Lock Screen widget will mandatorily move to the bottom of your screen if you change the clock size even slightly. You can also touch the widget area under the normal-sized clock and drag it down to make widgets easily accessible for one-handed use.
Use 3D moving wallpaper
When you’re adding a new photo Lock Screen, just tap the hexagonal icon and in a few seconds, your iPhone will generate a spatial scene wallpaper. Your normal photo will now get a subtle 3D effect, and tilting your iPhone on either the X or Y-axis will move the wallpaper for a cool parallax effect.
Blur or unblur wallpaper during Always On display
If you use the Always On display on your supported iPhone, iOS 26 now gives you the choice to blue or unblur the wallpaper. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display to see which style you prefer. Of course, you can also choose to stop showing the wallpaper altogether during Always On if you like a pitch-black look.
Full-screen animated music album art
The last significant Lock Screen change in iOS 26, which we’ll talk about, kicks in when you’re listening to songs from a supported app like Apple Music.
Simply tap the tiny album artwork thumbnail in the Lock Screen Now Playing widget, and then the artwork will fill the entire screen and animate for a unique, immersive experience.
However, note that not all songs support full-screen, animated album artwork. If you want to try it now, here are links for a few Apple Music tracks that have animated artwork:
- Sapphire by Ed Sheeran
- Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley
- Numb by Linkin Park
- What Goes Around Comes Around by Justin Timberlake
- Heat Waves by Glass Animals
- Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars
Which is your favorite new iOS 26 Lock Screen feature from this list?
Also, check out: 18 settings to change and new features to try in iOS 26