There is a lot to like about the Dynamic wallpaper. What makes it stand out is the ability to add life to your iPhone’s Lock and Home Screens by dynamically changing visuals based on the time of day or movement. Sadly, with the release of the iOS 18.4.1 update, a good many users have reported that their dynamic wallpapers are no longer functioning properly. As per the complaints, the wallpaper doesn’t shift its colors based on the time of the day. In this guide, I’m going to talk about the 10 most effective ways to fix Dynamic Wallpaper not working on iPhone after the iOS 18.4.1 software update.
Best Tips and Tricks to Fix Dynamic Wallpaper Not Working in iOS 18.4.1 on iPhone
What has broken the Dynamic Wallpaper on iPhone? Well, this issue can happen due to bugs, misconfigured settings, and even system limitations. Thankfully, it’s easy to dig into these culprits and sort them out.
1. Ensure Low Power Mode is Disabled
It’s no secret that the Low Power Mode is designed to reduce background activity and disable certain visual effects to save battery. If this feature is active, I suspect it might be hurting the functionality of the dynamic wallpaper on your device.
- On your iPhone, head over to Settings > Battery and toggle off Low Power Mode.
- Bear in mind that the dynamic wallpapers are part of the animations disabled by this mode to conserve energy.
2. Disable Reduce Motion
It’s worth pointing out that this noted Accessibility feature minimizes animations across the system, which can interfere with dynamic wallpapers.
- On your iOS device, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Motion.
- After that, make sure to turn off Reduce Motion to re-enable the full range of dynamic effects.
3. Restart Your iPhone
It’s important to always remember the fact that a simple restart has the amazing ability to fix temporary glitches or stuck background processes affecting wallpapers.
- To do so, press and hold the Side button with either volume button until the slider appears.
- Slide to power off, wait a few seconds, and turn the iPhone back on.
4. Use a Compatible Dynamic Wallpaper
Be warned that not all wallpapers labeled as “dynamic” work and behave the same. Yeah, you read that right! While some might be Live Photos, others are animated stills. Hence, be sure you are using the right wallpaper.
- To get going, navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper and choose from Apple’s official Dynamic category.
- Next, ensure you’re not selecting a Live Photo or Perspective image instead.
5. Update to the Latest iOS Patch
Note that the dynamic wallpaper issues could be due to bugs in the current version of iOS. Therefore, it makes sense to update the software on your device.
- Open the Settings app > General > Software Update and install the latest available patch.
- Apple often rolls out minor updates to fix stability and performance issues.
6. Switch to Light/Dark Mode Automatically
Do you know that dynamic wallpapers often respond to system-wide light and dark mode transitions? Therefore, I’d recommend you switch to the light/dark mode automatically.
- Open Settings app on your device > Display & Brightness.
- Now, activate Automatic and choose Sunset to Sunrise or a custom schedule.
- This ensures dynamic wallpapers shift appearance as intended.
7. Reset Wallpaper Settings
Be ware of the fact that the corrupted or misapplied settings can also block the dynamic wallpapers from working correctly.
- Try reapplying the wallpaper by selecting it again from Settings > Wallpaper.
- Tap Customize and choose the Dynamic tab, then set it for Lock or Home Screen again.
8. Disable Low Data Mode (for iCloud Wallpapers)
Should the problem persist, check if your wallpaper is synced via iCloud and Low Data Mode is on. If that’s the case, it might not refresh dynamically.
- Go to Settings on your iPhone > Wi-Fi, tap your connected network, and turn off Low Data Mode.
- For cellular data, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options and disable it there too.
9. Free Up Storage Space
Believe it or not, iOS sometimes disables visual effects like dynamic wallpapers when storage is critically low. So, make sure to take a close look at the storage status on your iPhone and clean it up.
- Head to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
- If your storage space is clogged up, time to delete unused apps or large files to free up space and restore visual features.
10. Reset All Settings
Can’t bring the dynamic wallpaper to work yet? No problem! As a last resort, I’d suggest you reset all settings as it can let you fix stubborn issues without deleting your data.
- On your iPhone, dive into Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.
- It allows you to reset preferences like wallpaper, network settings, and accessibility options to default.
Wrapping up…
There you go! So that wraps up our guide on how to fix dynamic wallpaper not working on iOS 18.4.1. Whether it’s a minor setting like Low Power Mode or a deeper system glitch, one of these methods should help bring your iPhone’s display back to its vibrant and animated self.
