Apple intentionally designs high-quality default wallpapers to enhance iPhones’ visual appeal. With iOS 16, they removed these stock backgrounds from older models.
Users can now download the complete iPhone wallpaper collection spanning the original to the latest devices. We compiled this iPhone art history to preserve and consolidate Apple’s aesthetic journey.
Examining their wallpaper evolution showcases Apple’s philosophy. The initial iPhone, through 3G, featured basic gradients and textures, prizing functionality. Subsequent models presented more ambitious, engaging imagery like bubbles and fibers, complementing improving display capabilities.
Apple currently leverages vibrant colors, dimensional shapes, and depth effects. Their wallpapers elegantly brand devices while highlighting advanced features like OLED contrast and always-on displays.
Overall, it is quite a daunting task to find old models of iOS Wallpapers; however, we have managed to bring the best one for you.
Are all iOS Wallpapers Supported on Every Apple Device?
Various factors affect iOS Wallpapers across different devices. Below is an explanation of the same:
Device Type
iOS doesn’t necessarily mean an iPhone. It even includes iPad, iOS, and CarPlay, as all are meant for different functions, and their features differ. An interactive iPhone wallpaper won’t work on CarPlay, which has a different functionality.
Compatibility
Different iOS devices have different compatibility. Even the iPhone 5 wallpaper won’t work on the iPhone SE, and the earlier IOS versions, like the iPhone 3GS and similar, won’t support a dynamic wallpaper.
Further, the iPad is the iOS version of an Android tablet and hence has greater functionality, which makes it suitable for graphic design and other purposes. Therefore, its wallpaper won’t work on an iPod whose primary aim is to entertain with the help of music.
Screen Size
Different iOS devices have different screen sizes and resolutions. Even for a similar device, Apple has different variants, each with functionality. For instance, an iPhone 8 wallpaper won’t work on the iPhone 15 Pro.
Static/Dynamic
Apple has both static and dynamic Wallpapers. The initials were classic, which didn’t move but a background or a picture.
Dynamic ones refer to wallpaper with motion or, in other words, Live wallpaper. Not all iOS devices support these, and the ones that support each have different levels of complexity.
Features
The initial iPhone Wallpapers were simple. Since the advent of iOS 16, it contained complex illustrations like various layers in the background, background, floating, and such effects.
These depend upon the complexity of the iOS device’s firmware. Therefore, the iOS Wallpapers differ according to the features they have.
iOS Wallpapers (All iOS Version)
Here is the complete list of all the iOS Wallpaper. You can be frustrated because of the duplicate wallpapers everywhere.
iPhone Original & 3G Wallpapers
The first iPhones didn’t support much Wallpapers. The first and second iPhones had a classic underwater wallpaper. These scenes were iconic; you could relate if anyone had seen them. Times passed, and different developments, including sceneries, landscapes, nature, animals, etc.
iPhone 3GS Wallpapers
Launched in 2009, the iPhone 3GS brought 19 new stock wallpapers to the Apple lineup, featuring updated versions of designs in earlier models and unique additions to the iPhone wallpaper collection.
Users could preview the full range of wallpaper choices before selecting one to customize the look of their new iPhone 3GS.
iPhone 4 & 4s Wallpapers
Apple released the iPhone 4 in 2010 as the next advancement in its revolutionary smartphone lineup.
The installed wallpapers balanced striking new additions like swirling nebulas and dancing flower petals with popular returning options like rippling water droplets.
Leveraging the enhanced screen technology, Apple’s iPhone 4 wallpaper featured photo-realistic images with vibrant colors exclusive to the latest device.
iPhone 5 Wallpapers
Apple introduced a sleek new suite of wallpapers with the launch of the iPhone 5 and its taller 4-inch display in 2012. The collection moved distinctly away from previous phones’ photo-realistic images to washed-out abstract backgrounds better suited to the refined model.
iPhone 6 Wallpapers
With the bigger 2014 iPhone 6 and 6 Plus came iOS 8, introducing a sleek wallpaper selection mixing new designs tailored to fit panoramic displays with carried-over abstract images resonating since early models.
Zoomed-out patterns visualized interfaces peppered with icons while textured shapes and zoomed-in particulars mirrored hardware details and utilities.
iPhone 6s (Plus) Wallpapers
In 2015, Apple again revolutionized the iPhone user experience with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which came loaded with groundbreaking live wallpapers.
This dynamic, animated backdrop feature brought the interface to life, distinguishing the smartphones’ personalization capabilities from prior models’ static images.
iPhone SE Wallpapers
Unveiling the iPhone SE in 2016, Apple appealed to budget-focused consumers without compromising their trademark innovation.
The tech giant equipped the affordable device with their latest iOS features, future-proofing it with major software updates still being utilized today.
Among the modern enhancements users could enjoy was a fresh wallpaper series tailored to the classic, petite screen size.
iPhone 7 Wallpapers
Apple again broke boundaries with the all-glass iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, shipping the slick devices with a minimalist wallpaper set, empowering owners to focus on groundbreaking features.
Showcasing the enhanced screen and camera technology through the backdrop alone, the company actively spotlighted a single, artfully styled bubble concept repeating in 24 distinct, colorful variations.
iPhone 8 Wallpapers
Apple pioneered premium smartphone aesthetics in 2017, developing the bourgeoning iPhone X while still appeasing classic users with the iterative iPhone 8 series.
Seeking to underscore hardware capabilities like wireless charging through artwork alone, the company actively curated a wallpaper selection for the 8 series, pulling from their latest sweeping iOS 11 update.
iPhone X Wallpapers
Pioneering an all-screen future in 2017’s iPhone X, Apple energized smartphone design by actively embracing the distinctive notch and crafting a default wallpaper suite to amplify its visual impact.
They championed their radical engineering feats through a range of vivid images and animations fine-tuned to surround the unconventional cutout elegantly.
Alongside six mesmerizing live wallpapers visualizing depth and motion, the company leans into its industrial design revolution.
iPhone XR, XS & XS Max Wallpapers
Catering to widening demands in 2018, Apple pioneered an iPhone for every user with the color-focused iPhone XR, the premium XS series in two scaled sizes, and a gorgeous wallpaper collection differentiation of each model.
Actively amplifying style preferences, Apple empowered XR buyers to customize, designing twelve canvases with abstractions mirroring Product Red, coral, black, white, and blue palette options.
iPhone 11 and 11 Pro Wallpapers
When Apple launched its highest-end iPhone 11 and 11 Pro in 2019, it matched its triple-lens camera with a wallpaper suit standing out for quality.
Comprised of sixteen options evenly split between static images and dynamic live wallpapers, Apple empowers 11 Pro users to express the smartphone’s impressive features with backdrops alone.
iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Wallpapers
For the refined, flat-edge iPhone 12 series design unveiled in 2020, Apple developed an exclusive suite of wallpapers that energetically embraced the phones’ exact angles through original abstract imagery.
They made a statement echoing the industrial all-new aesthetic in software form; dark wallpapers punctuated by Straight glowing lines directly reflect the aluminum frame’s precision.
iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Wallpapers
The iPhone 13 series showcases unique wallpapers separate from the iPhone 13. The Pro boasts superior wallpaper options over the base model. The designs depict three neon lights arranged in geometric patterns.
While following the same underlying concept, each wallpaper’s neon hues differ. You can browse the full-stock wallpapers available on the iPhone 13 Pro.
iPhone 14 and 14 Pro Wallpapers
Apple crafted dynamic, colorful backgrounds for the latest iPhones, optimized to highlight the updated camera and display. Abstract shapes dance across deep blacks on the 14 Pro, shifting as you interact, representing the new always-on display.
The standard iPhone 14 features warmer tones like marigold and peach, with soft bubbles floating over the dark canvas, epitomizing the playful software aesthetic.
iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Wallpapers
Apple could craft more dynamic, vivid backgrounds to showcase the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro’s expected improvements. Abstract shapes and particles may glide across the Pro’s always-on display, shifting as you access notifications, representing enhanced connectivity and efficiency.
The standard iPhone 15 wallpapers may feature warmer tones like ruby and tangerine, with gentle streams flowing over a deep black canvas.
The Conclusion – Download Latest Official iOS Wallpaper
As we’ve traced the iPhone’s evolution, we see how Apple’s interface art has progressed with unrivaled hardware.
With each product launch, creative designers unveil curated wallpapers that spark personalization through self-expression.
These backdrops also actively spotlight innovation by visualizing cutting-edge features through imagery displayed edge to edge.
Whether abstract patterns or stylized images of light and shadows, the wallpaper suite gives users aesthetic ownership while directly connecting software capabilities with the physical device.
After 15 years of breakthrough tech matched by stunning visuals, the iOS wallpaper’s enduring legacy remains intertwined with Apple’s identity.
This symbiotic dynamism produces unmatched personal devices brimming with unprecedented performance and possibilities for customization-defining mobile computing for the future.
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