iOS shows a wallpaper sharpest when it matches the native resolution of the display. A picture that is too small gets scaled up and looks soft. One with a different aspect ratio gets cropped, often right through the part you cared about.
Wallpaper sizes for every iPhone
| Model | Resolution |
|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro Max / 17 Pro Max / 16 Pro Max | 1320 × 2868 |
| iPhone Air | 1260 × 2736 |
| iPhone 18 Pro / 17 Pro / 17 / 16 Pro | 1206 × 2622 |
| iPhone 16 Plus / 15 Plus / 15 Pro Max / 14 Pro Max | 1290 × 2796 |
| iPhone 16 / 15 / 15 Pro / 14 Pro | 1179 × 2556 |
| iPhone 16e / 14 / 13 / 12 | 1170 × 2532 |
| iPhone SE (2nd / 3rd gen) | 750 × 1334 |
To check your model, open Settings → General → About. The model name is listed near the top.
Leave room for the clock
On the lock screen, the date and the large clock take up roughly the upper third. At the bottom sit the flashlight and camera buttons, and notifications stack up from below. Text in your wallpaper is safest in the area between those, a little below the middle of the screen. The article on lock screen wallpapers that keep the clock clear goes into more detail.
The home screen covers most of the picture with app icons anyway, so the lock screen is where the design really shows.
Light and dark
iOS can dim your wallpaper when dark mode is on, but it cannot switch your own picture for a different one. If you want a light picture by day and a dark one at night, you need a Shortcuts automation. The iPhone guide shows the setup step by step.
Make one in the right size
In the iPhone wallpaper generator, pick your model and the wallpaper is rendered at exactly its resolution, with the text placed below the clock. You get a light and a dark version as PNGs and can save them straight to Photos on the iPhone.