Personalizing your iPhone’s appearance can enhance your user experience, and one effective way to do this is by setting dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day. By utilizing the Shortcuts app, you can automate your device to display a specific wallpaper during the day and another at night, seamlessly transitioning between Light and Dark Modes. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up these dynamic wallpapers on your iPhone.
Step 1: Select Your Wallpapers
Begin by choosing two images: one for daytime and one for nighttime. You can use personal photos or download high-quality images from sources like Pinterest. Once selected, save these images to your Photos app.
Step 2: Create Albums for Day and Night Wallpapers
1. Open the Photos app and locate your chosen daytime wallpaper.
2. Tap the Share icon and select Add to Album.
3. Tap the + icon to create a new album and name it Day Wallpaper or a preferred name.
4. Repeat the process for the nighttime wallpaper, creating a separate album named Night Wallpaper.
Step 3: Set Up a Daytime Automation
1. Open the Shortcuts app and tap the Automation tab.
2. Tap Create Personal Automation.
3. Select Time of Day as the trigger.
4. Choose Sunrise or set a specific time (e.g., 7:00 AM) for the automation to run.
5. Under Repeat, select Daily.
6. Ensure Run Immediately is enabled.
7. Tap Next to proceed.
8. Tap Add Action and search for Find Photos.
9. Tap Add Filter and select the Day Wallpaper album.
10. Add another action by searching for Set Wallpaper Photo.
11. Tap the arrow icon and disable Show Preview for a seamless experience.
12. Add a final action by searching for Set Appearance and choose Light.
13. Tap Next, review your automation, and tap Done to save.
Step 4: Set Up a Nighttime Automation
1. Repeat the steps above, but set the trigger to Sunset or a specific time (e.g., 9:00 PM).
2. In the Find Photos action, select the Night Wallpaper album.
3. In the Set Appearance action, choose Dark.
Additional Tips:
– Disabling Shortcuts Notifications: To prevent notifications each time the automation runs, navigate to Settings > Screen Time > See All Activity. After receiving at least one notification from Shortcuts, find Shortcuts under the Notifications section and disable notifications. Note that this setting may need to be reapplied after restarting your device.
– Using Live Photos as Wallpapers: If you prefer dynamic wallpapers, consider using Live Photos. To set a Live Photo as your wallpaper, go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper > Live Photos, select your desired photo, and set it as your Lock Screen wallpaper.
– Exploring Built-in Dynamic Wallpapers: iOS offers built-in dynamic wallpapers that change based on factors like time of day or device movement. To access these, go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper > Dynamic.
By following these steps, your iPhone will automatically switch between your chosen day and night wallpapers, providing a personalized and dynamic visual experience that aligns with the time of day.
