Apple has introduced new Lock Screen customizations for the iPad with iPadOS 17. With the new customizations, users can set different lock screen layouts, add widgets, change the font and color of the date and time, add live activities to the lock screen, and more.

If you use an iPad and are tired of seeing the same home screen all the time, in this post we will show you how to use the new lock screen customization features on iPad and turn your lock screen into something you love to see every day. So, let us dive in and start personalizing!

Customize the iPad Lock Screen

Wallpaper Customisation

Let us start with the wallpaper. You can add or customize the existing Wallpaper. Apple offers several customization tools that allow you to customize the current wallpaper, such as changing its appearance or choosing a completely new wallpaper from Apple’s suggested wallpapers. You can also set your photos as the wallpaper for the lock screen.

Customize Current Wallpaper

• Open your iPad. Go to the lock screen of your iPad and long press the screen until you see the option to add a new window.
  
• Here, you can customize the current wallpaper or add a new wallpaper. To customize the current wallpaper, click the Customize button at the bottom of the screen. Now select the lock screen from the options.
  
• From here, you can add widgets to the lock screen and customize the date and time. To edit the current wallpaper, click on the Appearance icon in the bottom right corner of the screen and select the appropriate option depending on where you are. You can tap on any option and the changes will be applied automatically.
• Then click the Done button in the upper right corner of the screen to save the changes. You can also play with the widgets or other customization options, which we will discuss in more detail in the later part of this post.

Add New Wallpaper

• To add a new wallpaper, long press on the lock screen and swipe left to open the new window and click the plus icon to add a new wallpaper. Alternatively, you can also go to Settings on your iPad, navigate to Wallpaper Settings and click “+Add new wallpaper”.
  
• A new pop-up window will appear. Here you can choose between different wallpapers offered by Apple.
  
• You can tap and swipe on any wallpaper to access different styles, and finally click “Done” to apply the wallpaper.
• You can set the wallpaper as a pair, which will apply the wallpaper to both the lock screen and the home screen. If you don’t want this, you can customize the home screen separately by clicking the “Customize Home Screen” option under the “Wallpaper Pair” option.

Add a Photo as a Lock Screen Wallpaper

You can also set your photos as lock screen wallpaper. iPad OS 17 supports live photo wallpapers and the ability to select multiple photos and display them as a slideshow. To set a photo as wallpaper:

• Click the “Photos” or “Shuffle” option. The Shuffle option lets you select multiple photos and set them as a slideshow.
  
• Now select the photo or photos you want to use as the lock screen wallpaper. Use the editing options to customize the look of the photo. You can crop it, adjust the depth and much more. If you use the random photo selection option, select the frequency with which you want the wallpaper to change. You can select daily, hourly, on lock, on tap, and more.
  
• You can also adjust the depth effect of the image. The depth effect adds the time and date behind the subject to the wallpaper which I think looks very nice. Click the Add button in the upper right corner of the screen to save the changes. Here you have the option to set Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen Wallpaper. Select any option according to your preferences. The wallpaper will be automatically applied to your lock screen.
  

Create Emoji Wallpaper

You can also create wallpapers with emojis. The best thing about this feature is that you can choose any emoji from hundreds that are already available on your iPad. To add:

• Go to the wallpaper settings and click on the emoji icon at the top of the screen
  
• Now select the emoji you want to set as your wallpaper. You can select up to 6 emojis. Swipe to the left to set the layout. You can set different layouts like Dynamic, Grid, Large, Radial and Spiral.
  
• You can also change the background color of the wallpaper background color. Just click the round color button at the bottom right of the screen. Then select the color you like best for the background. You can also change the hue of the background by moving the slider back and forth.
  
• Click the Add button to apply the wallpaper. Similar to other wallpapers, you can set the wallpaper as a pair or choose a different wallpaper for your home screen. Select the options according to your preferences and the wallpaper will be applied automatically.
  

Add Widgets to the Lock Screen

Next, we add widgets to the home screen. Apple added support for interactivity to widgets in iPadOS 17, making it easy to take action and get helpful information at a glance. Widgets also automatically adjust to the background image on the Home screen and change their appearance. To add widgets:

• On the iPad, long press the lock screen, click the “Customize” option and select the “Lock Screen” option.
• Now you will see the “Add Widgets” section in the left corner of the screen. You can add widgets only in the specified area.
  
• Now tap on the ADD WIDGETS section and select the widgets you want to add to your iPad lock screen. You can only add widgets in the specified area. Once the area is filled, you need to remove widgets to add new ones.
  
• Click the “Done” option in the upper right corner of the screen to save the changes.
  

Edit Date and Time Look on the Lock Screen

We often check the date and time on our iPad’s lock screen. Now you can change how the date and time look on your lock screen.

• Go to the wallpaper you want to edit (you can follow the steps above)
  
• Tap on the date or time to customize it. You can choose the font and color and also adjust the size of the text.
• Click “Done” to save the changes.
  

Add Live Activities

Apple has also added support for live activities on iPad OS 17. You can view live activities right on the lock screen. If you’ve never heard of Live Activities: They provide real-time updates on various activities right on your iPad’s lock screen. For example, you can track the progress of a sports game, check your travel plans, or monitor the status of your food order without unlocking your iPad or opening a specific app. Live Activities are very useful and give you instant access to important and up-to-date information.

How to enable live activities on your iPad lock screen

• Go to the settings on your iPad
• Click on the option that says “Face ID & Passcode”.
  
• You’ll be asked for your passcode. Enter it.
• Go to the “Allow access when locked” section and find “Live activities”.
• Turn on the switch next to Live Activities.
  

Live Activities will appear on your lock screen and home screen. Several apps support the Live Activities feature, including Apollo for Reddit, Zomato, Swiggy, FotMob, SmartGym, Liftin’, Steps, Landscape, Slopes, Calzy, Sticky Timers, Forest, MoneyCoach, Just Press Record, Structured – Daily Planner, and many more.

Organise Notifications on the Lock Screen

Last but not least, you can change how notifications are displayed on your iPad’s lock screen. Apple lets you set how you want your notifications to appear on the lock screen. To customize:

• Go to the settings on your iPad
• Find the Notifications tab and click on it
• Select the notification system. You can choose different styles like “Count”, “Stack” and “List”. The changes will be applied automatically.
  

Shift Between Different Lock Screen Setups

Any changes you make to the screen lock are saved until you manually delete them or reset your iPad. This way you can switch between different lock screen settings if you get bored with the current one. Here’s how:

• Bring up your iPad’s lock screen and long-press on the screen.
• Now swipe across the screens to display the lock screen you have created.
  
• Select the lock screen of your choice and tap it. The lock screen will be applied automatically. You can simply swipe up to unlock your iPad.
• Alternatively, you can go to your iPad’s settings and go to “Wallpaper” and then swipe left to see all your lock screen settings. Now click the “Set as current” button to set up the new lock screen.
  

Delete the Lock Screen Setup

If you don’t like the screen lock setup, you can simply delete your current screen lock setup.

• Unlock your iPad, go to the lock screen and long press on the lock screen.
• Now select the wallpaper you want to remove and swipe up the wallpaper window.
• Now tap the “Delete” button and click “Delete Wallpaper” to remove it.

Customize iPad Lock Screen Like a Champ

There is a saying that goes, “All Apple devices look the same.” Unlike Android or other popular operating systems, Apple offers users fewer customization options and retains more control over the look of the device. But with Apple’s latest updates, that’s changing. Apple is focusing more on customization features that allow users to customize the look of their devices. Hope you find this comprehensive guide on how to customize iPad lock screen.

FAQs on How to Customize iPad Lock Screen