Skip to main content

How to delete lock screen wallpapers in iOS 16

Lock Screen with iOS 16 outside.
Jackie Dove/Digital Trends

With iOS 16, Apple has started treating the iPhone lock screen in much the same way as it treats Apple Watch faces: You can easily add, delete, change, or switch between them at will, directly from the current screen.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • An iPhone 8 or newer

  • iOS 16

The iPhone lock screen is the gateway to your iPhone, and before iOS 16, most users would choose an Apple-designed custom wallpaper or a personal image as a backdrop via the Settings app.

With iOS 16, there's brand new flexibility built into the iPhone's lock screen, including creating multiple screens. Some users may have overindulged by creating too many screens, with interfaces they no longer want or need. There's no need to hang on to or navigate among superfluous lock screens. We show you how to remove any that have outlived their usefulness.

How to delete lock screen wallpapers in iOS 16

To delete a lock screen wallpaper, all you need to do is access the current one you're using and go from there.

Step 1: Use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock your iPhone. This does not work with a passcode only.

Apple wallpaper in iOS 16.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Tap and hold the current Lock screen to access the Wallpaper gallery.

Apple wallpaper gallery view in iOS 16.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: Find the wallpaper you want to delete — you may need to swipe left or right to find the one you want.

Apple wallpaper selected for removal in iOS 16.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: When you find the screen you want to remove, swipe up and tap the Red trash can icon.

Apple wallpaper for removal showing red trash can in iOS 16.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: Tap Delete this wallpaper, and it's gone forever. Repeat these steps for each lock screen wallpaper you want to delete.

Apple wallpaper selected for removal with alert message in iOS 16.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As it currently stands, iOS 16 doesn't allow you to select multiple wallpapers and delete them all at once. Instead, you'll need to go through them individually using the steps above. It's a slightly tedious process, but if your lock screen wallpaper library is getting out of control, it's an essential tip to know.

Jackie Dove
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
Things still aren’t looking good for Apple’s iOS 19 update
iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium.

The latest version of iOS 18.2 rolled out to (most) iPhone users yesterday, and it brought with it a slew of new features that fans have eagerly waited for. These include Visual Intelligence for iPhone 16, Genmoji, and Image Playground. However, this slower rollout of iOS 18 features is having an impact on development times for its next iteration, and that means iOS 19 might be delayed.

There have been whispers of delays before, so this doesn't come as a huge surprise — particularly when you think about how the production flow at Apple usually goes. In a Threads post, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said: "I continue to hear that the gradual rollout of features across iOS 18 to iOS 18.4 is leading to delays of some features scheduled for iOS 19. That will lead to a long-term rollout of features next cycle as well. Engineers are stuck working on iOS 18 projects when they’d usually already be on to the following OS."

Read more
RCS messaging is now live in iOS 18.2 for Boost Mobile subscribers
RCS messaging on iOS 18.

This week, Apple released iOS 18.2. Though the update is mostly being advertised for its new Apple Intelligence features, it also includes another feature long promised for certain U.S. iPhone users.

With the iOS 18.2 update, Boost Mobile customers using iPhones can now use RCS (Rich Communication Services) as an alternative to SMS and MMS. A Reddit user (via Android Authority) was the first to discover the change. Apple teased RCS support last year before making an official announcement at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

Read more
The iOS 18.2 update includes a special feature just for iPhone 16 Pro users
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

If you have an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, updated to iOS 18.2, and regularly use the Voice Memos app, then your phone just got even better if you're a musician. Originally teased in September’s iPhone 16 event, Layered Recordings is now available in the Voice Memos app with the iOS 18.2 update.

What exactly are Layered Recordings? Basically, you can now add a vocal track layer on top of any existing instrumental recording without the need for headphones. In the iOS 18.2 update, users are now able to play original instrument ideas through the iPhone’s built-in speakers while simultaneously recording vocals with the studio-quality microphone on the iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max.

Read more