How to show a tiny clock on iPhone or iPad Lock Screen in iOS 27

Learn how to make the iPhone or iPad Lock Screen clock smaller by aligning it with the date at the top of the screen for a clean, distraction-free wallpaper.

iPhone Lock Screen with tiny clock

If your iPhone or iPad is running iOS 26, you likely already know you can significantly increase the clock size. When using the right wallpaper, the clock will even appear behind the main wallpaper subject, creating a nice effect.

The latest iOS 27 build adds one more option, which is sure to be a hit with people who prefer a minimalistic look. It allows you to completely remove the traditional Lock Screen clock and show it in a tiny size next to the day and date. This clean style reveals your full Lock Screen wallpaper and looks perfect, especially if you use photos of your family members, as their faces will no longer have a big clock over them.

Note that if you use Lock Screen widgets on your iPhone, they will be pushed up as well. But you can always drag them down to the bottom portion of the screen. And remember that switching to the tiny clock will also remove the Liquid Glass effect, since the small font doesn’t have much space to show it.

Remove the clock from your iPhone or iPad Lock Screen

1) Install iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 Beta 4 on your device.

2) Touch and hold the Lock Screen and tap Customize.

Starting to customize iPhone Lock Screen

3) Tap the clock, and it will bring up the Font & Color customizer pane.

4) Tap the new dual rectangle icon in the upper right corner of this pane to shrink the clock.

Tap rectangle icon in iOS 27 to make Lock Screen click tiny

5) Even in this miniature form, you can change the font type, style, and color.

6) Finally, tap anywhere outside this pane and tap Done to save your new Lock Screen with a tiny digital clock.

Customizing tiny Lock Screen clock on iPhone

Here’s how it looks on iPad:

Making iPad Lock Screen clock tiny in iPadOS 27

Restore the normal or big-sized clock

  1. Start customizing the Lock Screen.
  2. Tap the tiny clock before the day & date.
  3. Tap the same dual-rectangle icon to get back the normal digital clock on your iPhone or iPad screen.
Restoring normal clock on iPhone Lock Screen

What do you think of this new change? I sure love it and have switched to the tiny clock so I can enjoy my Lock Screen wallpaper even more.

Also, new in iOS 27: How to give 1 to 5 stars to your photos on iPhone, iPad, Mac