Android owners like to say that their phones are more customizable than the iPhone, and they're often right. This is an excellent example: Except for a fairly limited trick involving Live Photos, it's not possible to turn video into your iPhone's wallpaper – but it's easy to do on Android using any number of free apps.
Some Samsung phones even have the feature built in. Keep in mind, though, that the reason this isn't done by default is that running video on your Home screen continuously will drain your phone's battery more quickly each day.
How to set a video as wallpaper on most Androids
If you want to set a video as the wallpaper on your Android phone, you need to download an app from the Google Play store. There are a handful of apps that can do this – to see a list, search the Google Play store for "video wallpaper." For this article, we will use Video Live Wallpaper. It's a free, reliable, and safe app that can turn your background to video in seconds.
1. If you haven't already, download Video Live Wallpaper from the Google Play Store.
2. Start Video Live Wallpaper and tap "Choose Video" from the main screen.
3. From the list of videos stored in your gallery, select the video you want to use.
4. Use the control at the bottom of the screen to select the portion of the video you want to turn into your wallpaper. You can drag the start and end points, and use the "Play" button to preview it.
5. Tap the "Preview" button at the top right of the screen – it looks like a small square picture.
6. If the aspect ratio is not correct, tap the "Settings" icon at the top right of the screen and tap "Scale Fit." Then return to the preview by tapping the "Preview" icon at the top right.
7. Finally, if you are satisfied, tap "Set wallpaper" at the bottom of the screen. In the pop-up, choose whether you want to set the video as wallpaper on just the Home screen or on the Home screen and Lock screen.
How to set a video as wallpaper on Samsung Galaxy phones
Samsung lets you set a video as wallpaper without downloading any apps, but it only works on the Lock screen.
1. Start the Gallery app and choose a video you want to use as wallpaper.
2. Tap the three-dot icon at the top right of the screen.
3. In the dropdown menu, tap "Set as wallpaper."
4. You're limited to 15-second videos. If it's too long, you'll see a message telling you to trim the video. Tap the scissor-shaped "Edit" button in the middle of the screen.
5. Drag the video edit box until you have selected the section of the video you want to use, then tap "Done." The app will make a new, shorter copy of the video and store it in your gallery.
6. Tap "Set on Lock screen."
Related coverage from Tech Reference:
-
How to crop a video on your Mac computer using iMovie
-
iOS 14 allows you to view picture-in-picture video on your iPhone to continue watching videos while you use other apps — here's how to use it
-
How to change the wallpaper on your Android device in 2 ways
-
How to set different wallpapers on each of your dual monitors in Windows 10, or set one picture to stretch across both
-
How to trim a video on your Android device using the built-in Gallery app
Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.
