How to find Apple's stunning new Kaleidoscope iPhone wallpapers

The dust has properly settled on Apple's iOS 17 update, with users loving features like StandBy and Contact Posters. But one new feature that it seems people are only just discovering is a series of brand new kaleidoscopic wallpapers.

The iPhone 15 line up has been mocked for eschewing colour in favour of muted tones (it's basically fifty shades of grey), but these wild new wallpapers suggest Apple isn't quite going full monochrome. And with the kaleidoscopes changing colour throughout the day thanks to an algorithm, they're almost as fun as those new Snoopy Apple Watch faces

iPhone kaleidoscope wallpapers

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple's iOS 17 support document claims that the wallpapers use “an algorithm to analyse the photo you pick, find the most interesting elements, and create a beautiful kaleidoscope pattern that moves throughout the day,” and that “multiple styles reveal unique expressions of the same photo.”

Since the wallpapers take a bit of scrolling to get to, it's perhaps unsurprising that it's taken users a while to notice them. But now, Twitter and Reddit are awash with people delighting in how mesmerising they are.

To find them, all you have to do is update to iOS 17 (if you haven't already), then head to Settings > Wallpaper > Add new wallpaper, and scroll down to the Kaleidoscope section.

Apple isn't the only company that's been dropping some awesome new wallpapers lately. To celebrate its 25th birthday, Google recently released not one, but two sets of delightfully illustrated designs. 

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Daniel John
Design Editor

Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.