iOS 26.5 just added a stunning new 'Luminance' wallpaper — here's how to get it
There's a new wallpaper in iOS 26.5 you need to try
iOS 26.5 includes a new Luminance wallpaper with animated vertical gradient stripes that shimmer when you unlock your iPhone. It comes with 11 preset color schemes based on various Pride flags, or you can create custom combinations using up to 12 colors.
The animation effect works with any color combination — light and dark shades of the same color create subtle gradients, while contrasting colors produce bold, eye-catching patterns. Here's how to set it up.
You'll need iOS 26.5
The Luminance wallpaper requires iOS 26.5. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the update if you haven't already.
It works on iPhone 11 or later and iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later — essentially any device that runs iOS 26. After updating, you can access the wallpaper immediately.
Add the Luminance wallpaper
Tap and hold on your iPhone's Lock Screen and tap the plus icon to browse your wallpaper collection. Scroll down to the collections section. Find the "Pride" collection and tap "Get" if you don't already have it. This downloads the entire Pride wallpaper set.
The Luminance wallpaper will appear as the first two options in the Pride collection. Tap either one to start customizing.
You'll see preset options labeled with Roman numerals. From here you can swipe through them to preview all the different color combinations to customize your home screen.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.
More from Tom's Guide
- Apple buried these 5 secret productivity tools in iOS 26, and you should use them every day
- Your iPhone keyboard can do math — here's how to use the secret calculator
- My photos were always crooked until I found this hidden iPhone camera trick
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.

Kaycee is Tom's Guide's How-To Editor, known for tutorials that get straight to what works. She writes across phones, homes, TVs and everything in between — because life doesn't stick to categories and neither should good advice. She's spent years in content creation doing one thing really well: making complicated things click. Kaycee is also an award-winning poet and co-editor at Fox and Star Books.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
