How to set Live Photo as a Live Wallpaper?

Before we move on to the apps, let’s discuss the native way of setting Live photos as wallpaper. Open the Photos app and find a Live photo in the album. You should see a Live Photo indicator on the top left corner of the photo. To use this photo as a wallpaper, tap the share button on the bottom left corner. Choose “Use as Wallpaper” from the Share Sheet. Make sure the Live Photo button is turned ON and then tap the Set button to set the wallpaper on the Lock Screen. Once the Wallpaper is set, you can tap and hold the lock screen to see the wallpaper come to life. You can use the same method to set any Live Photo or GIF as a Live Wallpaper.

Live Wallpaper Apps for iPhone

1. Kappboom

Kappboom is a one stop shop where you can find wallpapers for your iPhone in precise detail. You can find wallpapers that fit the iPhone screen perfectly whether you use an iPhone Xr or an iPhone 12 mini. While the app has a catalog of around 200,000 wallpapers, the number of Live wallpapers is limited. There are around 40 high-quality wallpapers to choose from. You can find Live wallpapers of cityscapes, monuments with timelapse, auroras, and abstract objects doing its own things. Even though I appreciate the quality of wallpapers, I would have preferred a category wise option to browse the catalog of Live Wallpapers. Either way, the app is free to download and you can pay for a subscription if you wish to use the app for other than just Live wallpapers. Number of Live Wallpapers: 40+ Get Kappboom (free, in-app purchases)

2. Live Wallpaper Maker

Live Wallpaper Maker is another terrific app that offers a unique catalog of Live Wallpapers for your iPhone. The app has categories neatly organized on the left pane where you can browse your preferred type of Live Wallpapers. Categories include Sports, Abstract, Cars, Nature, Space, Animals, Urban, Holiday, etc. Not just Live Wallpapers, you also get the option to create your own Live Wallpapers from existing videos on your iPhone. Simply select a video, trim it down and save it as a Live Wallpaper. Another quirky feature worth mentioning about this app, ASMR. You get access to interactive screens that simulate real-life textures such as slime, confetti, glitter, etc. The app comes with a subscription but you can try a few wallpapers in the trial period before sinking your feet. Number of Live Wallpapers: 100+ Get Live Wallpaper Maker (free, in-app purchases)

3. Zedge Wallpapers

Zedge has been around for more than a decade and it has always offered best quality wallpapers, and ringtones. The app features Icon packs, and ringtone maker along with a huge number of Live wallpapers. There are no categories to narrow down the results but you can search for it. The best part of Zedge is that they have verified creators to curate the list of wallpapers which greatly increases the number of wallpapers you can find here. Ranging from Abstract to surreal, you can find all sorts of live wallpapers. Even though the app is free, the Live Wallpapers are not. Each Live Wallpaper costs 10 Zedge credits which you can either purchase in bulk with in-app purchase or watch an ad to earn some. Number of Live Wallpapers: 500+ Get Zedge Wallpapers (free, in-app purchases)

4. Edge Lighting Live Wallpapers

I’m a big fan of Edge lighting that you find on Samsung smartphones and wanted something similar. Edge Lighting Live Wallpaper does exactly that, it lets you create a Live Wallpaper that simulates an Edge lighting effect when you tap and hold the lock screen. You can choose from the existing presets or create your custom Live wallpaper with four different colors, varying speed, and adjustable rounded corners. Once you’re happy with the preview, you can save the Live Wallpaper to the Photos app and set it as a Wallpaper. The app is free to download but you would have to pay $5.49 to unlock the ability to save the live wallpaper to your Photos app. Number of Live Wallpapers: 1 (multiple variations) Get Edge Lighting Live Wallpapers (free, in-app purchases)

5. Gravity Fluid Slime Simulator

This next app is more of an interactive simulator where you can play with different kinds of slimes, fluid colors, and round objects. There are total 15 different simulators that you can play with and create Live Wallpapers out of. For example, if you choose the Slime, you can begin recording a short clip and save that as a Live Photo to your Photos app. Gravity Fluid Slime Simulator is a free app but if you want to create Live Wallpaper, you would have to get a subscription for $4.99/mo. Number of Live Wallpapers: 15 (multiple variations) Get Gravity Fluid Slime Simulator (free, in-app purchases)

6. Black- Live Wallpapers

As the name implies, Black offers high-quality Live Wallpapers that are built around the dark theme. It has around 30 different Live wallpapers and some of those are Apple iPhone exclusives. For example, each iPhone has a different set of Live wallpapers that you can’t get on every iPhone such as iPhone 12 Pro would have different Live Wallpapers than iPhone 11. Not to mention each and every Live Wallpaper is thoughtfully designed and looks amazing on OLED screen of iPhone 12. Black is a paid app that sits at just $1 but if you want to try out some free wallpapers, you can check out Black Lite. Number of Live Wallpapers: 30+ Get Black ($1)

7. Live Wallpapers for iPhone

This app is one of my favorites because it has a simple interface that focuses on browsing and finding high-quality wallpapers, is completely free, and has detailed categorizations. It also has a huge library of wallpapers that just look so good. Instead of mindlessly scrolling, you can simply tap a tag or search for a relevant tag and narrow down your results. Needless to say, you can find a Live Wallpaper of your preference, no matter how niche it is. Also, the app is completely free and just has ads. Number of Live Wallpapers: 1000+ Get Live Wallpapers for iPhone (free)

8. Paper- Live Wallpapers

Paper boasts of an exquisite library of UHD Live Wallpapers for your iPhone. With more than 4000 Live Wallpapers sitting at your disposal, it’s easy to get confused but you can easily find the perfect wallpaper by checking out each category. It has Nature, abstract, anime, animals, game, couple, film, simplicity, and others. The wallpaper library keeps updating which means you would get a new stock every day. The app is free but some of the wallpapers are locked behind a paywall which you can unlock for $8.49/year. Number of Wallpapers: 4000+ Get Paper (free, in-app purchases)

9. Wallpapers Central

I’ve been a fan of Wallpapers Central for a while now because they’re the only ones who provide exclusive Apple Wallpapers to everyone. Whether you’re looking for iOS 14 wallpapers, or iPhone SE wallpapers, you can always find those on Wallpapers Central. Live Wallpapers are no exception and the app has each and every Live Wallpaper of every iPhone released with a set of Live wallpapers. It includes Magsafe animations, exclusive wallpapers, and a lot of originals. Wallpapers Central offers Live Wallpapers to Pro users and you can get the Pro subscription for $4.49 for 3 months or $14.99 for life. Number of Wallpapers: 100+ Get Wallpapers Central (free, in-app purchases)

10. Alive

Alive is a Live Wallpaper app that offers handpicked collection of wallpapers that are chosen by the editorial team. You can find amazing wallpapers across 12 different categories such as entertainment, Animals, motorsport, style, flags, cities, etc. Along with the existing collection, you can create your own Live wallpapers in the app. It has two sections: one where you can create Live Wallpapers from your own videos and the other where you can create Live Wallpapers from the existing templates. There are over 200 templates to choose from and new content is added every day. Alive is free with limited features but you can unlock everything by paying a subscription of $3.49/week. Number of Live Wallpapers: 250+ (200+ additional templates) Get Alive (free, in-app purchases)

Which is your Favorite Live Wallpaper App for iPhone?

These were a few of the Live Wallpaper apps for iPhone that offer great quality content and doesn’t overlap over each others too much. Apps such as Wallpapers Central is great for exclusive Apple Wallpapers, Alive is for creating your own wallpapers from existing templates, Live Wallpapers has a huge library, etc. So which app did you like the most? Let me know on Twitter.