How to Set a Live Wallpaper on iPhone & Android (2026)

A live wallpaper turns your phone's lock screen into a moving moment instead of a still photo. The steps differ a little between iPhone and Android, so here's exactly how to set one on each — and where to get a fresh feed of 4K live wallpapers for free.

On iPhone (Live Photo)

iOS sets live wallpapers from Live Photos. In the 2Live app, open a wallpaper and tap “Save to Photo Library” to add the Live Photo to your camera roll — every wallpaper is free and 4K.

Open Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Photos, switch to your library or the Live Photos album, and pick the clip with the “LIVE” badge in the top-left. Drag to position it, then tap “Set as Wallpaper Pair” and make sure “Live” is enabled. Press and hold the lock screen to watch it play.

Note: the motion plays on the lock screen, not the home screen, and only when you press and hold.

On Android (Samsung, Pixel and more)

The fastest way is an app: open Muralux, tap any 4K live wallpaper, tap “Set,” and choose Home screen, Lock screen, or both. The app uses Android's native wallpaper engine, so the animation applies in one tap.

To set your own video instead, long-press an empty area of the home screen → “Wallpaper & style,” open the Lock screen tab, and pick from the Animated/live category. Or open a clip in the Gallery app, tap the ⋮ menu, and choose “Set as wallpaper.”

On Samsung Galaxy phones, video live wallpapers apply to the lock screen (not the home screen). On Pixel and most other phones, the home screen plays interactive live wallpapers while the lock screen shows the still frame.

Preguntas frecuentes

Can I set a video as a live wallpaper?

On Android, yes — many phones let you set a video straight from the Gallery, or use an app like Muralux. On iPhone, a video has to be converted to a Live Photo first; 2Live does that on-device in a tap.

Does it work on Samsung and Pixel?

Yes. Samsung Galaxy applies video live wallpapers to the lock screen, and Pixel supports interactive live wallpapers on the home screen. The Muralux app handles the setup on both.

Do live wallpapers drain the battery?

A little more than a still image, but the impact is small — motion mostly plays when you wake or interact with the screen, not continuously.

How to set a live wallpaper on iPhone and Android