Choose a photo widget or a wallpaper
Use a photo widget when you want a family, pet or travel picture in one part of the home screen while keeping your existing background. Use wallpaper when the image should cover the background. A widget’s frame determines how much of the photo is visible; your phone’s wallpaper dimensions do not determine that crop.
Explore widget options, then choose an in-app template with image content and the size you need. Look beyond the border decoration: a circular frame removes corners, a wide frame can suit a group photo, and a square works well with a compact subject. Editable content varies between templates.
Put your photo in the design
Complete the process with one photo that has fully downloaded to your device before adding more. This helps distinguish a source problem from a crop or home screen selection problem.
- Open the template preview. If it offers photo settings, select your picture there.
- Otherwise, choose Edit and find the image in the layer list. If it is a background, open that object’s background settings.
- Choose a picture through the system picker and confirm. Allow any cloud original to finish downloading.
- Check the subject on the canvas, save to Library, and use a recognizable name such as “Travel photo · Small”.
Use Editor basics to identify the layer and Replace images and crop for panel details. Changing a photo does not require replacing a dynamic date label with fixed text.
Check the frame when faces get cropped
Imagine a 1200 × 800 landscape photo centered in a square using fill, without extra zoom or masks. Roughly the central 800 × 800 remains visible, removing about 200 pixels from each side. This geometry example explains why even a sharp original can lose people at its edges.
Fit keeps as much of the image as possible but may leave empty space. Fill covers the region but trims edges. Stretch can distort proportions. Choose the frame shape first, then reposition the crop. A wider design may suit a spread-out group better than further zooming.
Check rounded corners, masks and parent clipping too. A face close to the edge may be hidden by a circular frame. See Wallpaper size and cropping for more on proportions.
Check each image in a collection
If the current image panel offers a collection, ordering or cycle controls, configure them as needed. Without those controls, do not assume a single-image layer is an automatic slideshow. Several visible pictures may also be separate layers.
- Start with a few pictures that have similar compositions and arrange them using the available controls.
- Check every crop, especially mixed orientations, group photos and close portraits.
- Save, prepare the widget and observe its actual home screen display.
A selected cycle is not a promise that the system will change pictures at an exact instant. Adding a photo to a phone album also does not establish that it has joined a saved widget collection.
Select the right saved design on the home screen
Saving is followed by preparing and placing the widget. On iPhone, add the matching size. If a placeholder or another design appears, hold it, open Edit Widget and select your named design. Follow the iPhone placement guide or Android placement steps; check platform availability for current download options.
If an old image remains, compare the Library preview and check the selected design’s name. Editing a copy does not switch the desktop to that copy. For an unreadable image in the app, check Photo permissions. If only the desktop is stale, follow Refresh troubleshooting.
Frequently asked questions
Does a photo widget also change my wallpaper?
Adding the widget does not automatically replace your system background. Set the wallpaper separately if the image should cover the background.
Why does the home screen cut off a face that looked fine in preview?
First match the desktop widget size to the saved design, then check image fitting, cropping and masks. Do not assume the original lacks resolution or replace it with a preview screenshot.
Do I have to allow access to every photo?
Use the pictures needed for the task through the current picker and permission prompts. With limited access, check that the chosen picture is still available. Troubleshooting one photo does not require widening access to the whole library first.
Can a new photo appear exactly every minute?
A design’s cycle is not a guarantee of punctual system updates. Controls depend on the design and version, and the platform schedules the final display.
Official references
Sources checked: 2026-10-18. After a system update, follow the official instructions and device interface for your version.