How to change your iPhone wallpaper every hour, automatically, with a 14.3 shortcut

Automation in Apple devices has been a feature long established in their devices for years now, going back as far as the ‘Automator’ app in macOS.

However, there was never an app that worked for iOS in the same vein, until Apple bought a company by the name of ‘Workflow’ back in 2017.

Since then, the rebranded ‘Shortcuts’ has been an integral part of many users’ workflow, being able to set up many commands to open apps on a particular day, or even create newsletters or workspaces to differentiate an iPad from working to relaxing.

But with the upcoming iOS 14.3 version, a new ‘wallpaper’ feature has appeared, enabling users to change their wallpapers on their home and lock screens at will, without having to go into the ‘Settings’ app. Here’s how to create this for your device.

What are Shortcuts?

The ‘Shortcuts’ app debuted on iOS 12 back in 2017. A rebrand of the ‘Workflow’ app, it comes pre-installed on every iOS device, which enables anyone to build or download shortcuts that can help cut down on any routines that users do on their devices, to a simple tap on the Home Screen.

When you load up the app, you can go to the ‘Gallery’ section, where you can download hundreds of shortcuts right away to use. The below image shows just some examples for accessibility; you can convert your Wi-Fi password to a QR code, toggle settings with one tap that are usually 7 taps away, and many more.

But this isn’t restricted to the app to download; you can find a wealth of sites that host their own shortcuts, such as Matthew Cassinelli’s incredible library of shortcuts.

The app has only gotten better in recent years, with the app introducing ‘Automation’ features, so a series of steps can be executed when a certain time or action takes place.

READ MORE: How the iPhone 13 line will improve on the iPhone 12.

How to use the Shortcut

This is where the ‘Wallpaper’ action comes in. The Shortcuts app is constantly updated, it’s not just the major versions each year where you see a significant upgrade.

This particular action did appear last year, but for whatever reason, was taken out, until the beta release of iOS 14.3 a few weeks ago.

Bare in mind; this is a release not available to the public as yet; only to those who have signed up to the ‘public beta’ channel or who have a developer account.

If you follow the above steps, or click this link on your iOS device with 14.3 installed, you will be able to use the shortcut, and even tailor it to your needs. If you want to change it to a different album, or when the wallpapers change, it’s your call.

Shortcuts is an underrated feature, and one that isn’t really talked about to the general public. However, it’s a fantastic tool that can really reduce many steps that people do for their iOS devices each day.

READ MORE: How to connect a DualSense controller to your iPad.