Every time you turn on your device, the wallpaper is the first thing you see, so it should be something special, meaningful or just downright cool. Wallpaper apps in the App Store can be helpful but are usually as full of ads. Instead, try some of the best iPad and iPhone wallpaper sites below to find something that meets your style.
Also read: How to Enable Dark Mode in Snapchat
Dark iPhone Wallpapers
1. Wallpaper Access
Dark mode continues to be a massively popular way to use tablets and smartphones, making, Wallpaper Access a great place to find 44 of the best dark iPhone wallpapers around. Each wallpaper is available in a preset size, so you’ll want to look carefully at the smaller sizes or grab something larger up to 5K that can be resized for your personal iPad or iPhone.
2. Wallpaper Cave
Wallpaper Cave is another great destination for all things dark mode. Between space, nature and more space shots, there will be something here that fits in perfectly with dark mode for your iPhone. The only downside is that these dark mode wallpapers are pre-sized for iPhones, so iPad users are out of luck.
3. Unsplash
One of the best free stock photography sites, Unsplash has a page dedicated to dark mode wallpaper. The options are pretty eclectic, so whether it’s nature, space, cityscapes or something in between, there is a dark mode wallpaper for you. Each image looks fantastic in HD going all the way up to 4K in size. It may take a little resizing to fit each wallpaper perfectly depending on which iPhone or iPad model you own, but those extra few minutes are well worth the effort.
4. ilikewallpaper
With more than 74 different pages of dark mode wallpaper available, ilikewallpaper.net, with more than 650 wallpapers, is bound to provide something that fits your iPhone or iPad. Most of the wallpapers are in portrait mode, so they might not fit an iPad as downloaded, but if you find something you really like, making it work is possible. Between cars, celebrities, movie logos and scenes and abstract images, there is more of a diverse selection here than some of the competing dark wallpaper pages.
Dynamic Wallpapers
5. Jetson Creative
Finding dynamic wallpapers for your iPhone or iPad is really easy when you visit Jetson Creative. The list of available options is fairly small, with less than a dozen photos. However, the available choices are beautiful. You will find a picture of Earth from the international space station, Big Sur, Mojave National Preserve, San Francisco and more. Alternatively, you can grab the default macOS wallpapers which have been converted to iOS for use as dynamic wallpapers.
6. Dynamic Wallpaper
Should you want the best site for dynamic wallpaper, look no further than the appropriately-named Dynamic Wallpaper site. Not only does the landing page give you a complete breakdown of what a dynamic wallpaper is, but an easy link to create one yourself or a gallery of user-generated options. There’s a really great collection of shots with Harry Potter, streets in Tokyo, and Big Sur. Even Windows 11 default wallpaper makes a cameo appearance.
Retro Wallpapers
7. New Evolutions
Looking for a wallpaper website that adds some more niche categories? New Evolutions is host to dedicated categories for green, orange, red, and black and white wallpapers as well as a specific section just for iPad. One of the best sections to explore is the retro page, which adds some great Americana shots as well as images for The Beatles, Atari, Volkswagen, Nikon, “old” Apple and cassettes. The only downside of New Evolutions is that only select categories are pre-sized for the iPad and iPhone, while others are one-size-fits-all.
8. Reddit Wallpapers for iPhone and iPad
It’s easy to get lost (or distracted) with Reddit, but subreddits like r/ipadwallpapers and r/iphonewallpapers are a great place to find something new and interesting. It’s also an equally good place to hunt down wallpaper you may have seen online but cannot locate. Post an image of the wallpaper within either subreddit and let the Internet do its thing to find a wallpaper already appropriately sized for your device.
Want even more wallpapers from Reddit? Head to r/wallpapers for more general wallpaper, r/MinimalWallpaper for minimal options.
Minimal iPhone Wallpapers
9. Miniwallist
For anyone who loves the idea of minimal wallpaper for their iPhones, Miniwallist is a great place to begin your search. There are no specific categories, since each wallpaper is considered minimal but there is a host of scenery, cartoon, music, movie and animal options, just to name a few. When you find a wallpaper you love, download options for iOS include early iPads and iPhones all the way to the latest devices. The site requires a bit of scrolling until you find what you want, but other than that, it’s a great catalog of nothing but minimal wallpaper options.
10. Fone Walls
Minimal wallpapers for the iPhone? Look to fonewalls.com for an excellent selection of truly minimal wallpapers sized specifically for the iPhone. The selection of options is really broad, and wallpaper images come in every color, allowing you to match your icons, phone color or just your personality. The only downside is that wallpapers are not available in various sizes, nor are they fitted for the iPad.
iPhone 8K Wallpapers
11. Heroscreen
When it comes to iPhone wallpapers from HD all the way up to 8K, Heroscreen is the site for you. Heroscreen makes it easy to locate wallpapers specifically for your iOS device with dedicated sections for tablets and mobile. Inside each section is a host of sub-sections, all of which are full of randomized wallpapers that can be downloaded in HD (sometimes in 4K). Unfortunately, Heroscreen doesn’t allow you to select a download size that’s preset for either your iPhone or iPad.
12. HDWalls
Visit HDQWalls and search from just under three thousand different wallpaper options. The upper-left corner of the site lets you choose from a variety of resolutions good for devices of all shapes and sizes, while just below that is a list of categories covering superheroes, games, animals, digital, birds, flowers, typography and more. Every wallpaper can be downloaded at your choice of resolution.
Space Wallpapers
13. NASA
When it comes to space wallpaper for your iOS device, no website does it better than NASA. With its dedicated image gallery, you can grab hundreds of real-world shots that have been taken over the last few decades. These are some of the most important and unique photos of modern times, and all of them can fit your iPhone or iPad. How about a photo of the surface of Mars? Maybe one of Earth taken from space or one of the historical aircraft that once flew shuttles back and forth across the U.S would interest you.
Bonus: Cool Wallpapers
14. Deviant Art
As a site for artists from all over the world, Deviant Art has long been one of the web’s most popular places to show off your work. Within the site, the dedicated wallpaper page is home to some of the most unique and creative work by individual artists around. There is seemingly no end to the different ideas and images that are available for download. Most of the images are free, though some artists require a small purchase in order to pay their bills. You can search for iPhone or iPad wallpapers or grab any wallpaper and crop to fit your screen size.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where can I find original iPad and iPhone wallpapers?
While Apple doesn’t offer a dedicated page for original iPad wallpapers, Wallpaper Cave comes to the rescue. Download favorite stock Apple smartphone or tablet wallpapers from the time each device was released.
2. How do I change the wallpaper?
This is super easy to follow. Go to “Settings -> Wallpaper -> Choose a New Wallpaper.” Once you enter this screen, you can choose from a set of dynamic or still wallpapers or choose from any image within your photo gallery. Follow these directions to set up dynamic wallpaper.
3. Should I use perspective zoom?
This is entirely a personal decision, as it does make it appear like your wallpaper “moves” when you change the viewing angle. This isn’t for everyone, but if you find the right wallpaper, it can be a fun addition that requires minimal effort to include.
4. Can you use two different wallpapers for your home and lock screen?
Absolutely. In fact, when you choose a new wallpaper, you will be asked if you want to add it to your home, lock screen, or both. Just choose whichever setting you would prefer.
As shown above, there are plenty of ways to spice up your iPhone screen. Do also check out how to set live wallpapers on your iPhone.
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