Thanksgiving week is the busiest travel stretch of the year, and your Lock Screen can do more of the work. iPhone lets you keep more than one Lock Screen, so you can build a travel version with the widgets and controls you'll want in an airport or on the road, then swipe back to your everyday one when you're home. This guide follows Apple's iPhone User Guide.
Step 1: Create a new Lock Screen
- Press the side button on your iPhone two times.
- Touch and hold the Lock Screen, then tap the Add button to create a new Lock Screen. If you don't see it, touch and hold again and enter your passcode.
- Tap one of the wallpaper options. A warm autumn photo, or a Weather wallpaper, suits the week.
Apple notes that if you don't see an option you want, such as Weather or Astronomy, scroll down and tap Get below it.
Step 2: Add travel widgets
Tap your existing widgets or tap Add Widgets. For travel, think about what you check most with the phone locked:
- Weather for your destination.
- Calendar for flight times and dinner plans.
Keep it to the few you'll actually glance at; a crowded Lock Screen is harder to read.
Step 3: Swap the controls
The two controls at the bottom (like the flashlight) can be changed. Apple's steps: tap one of the controls, then tap the remove button. The flashlight is worth keeping for dark parking lots, so think about which of the two you really need on the trip.
Step 4: Style the clock and photo
Apple lists these options, depending on the wallpaper:
- Clock: drag the bottom right corner to increase the height, then tap the time to change the font or switch to a more transparent look.
- Reposition: pinch to zoom and drag with two fingers.
- Style: swipe left or right to try color filters.
Step 5: Save it
Tap Add or Done, then choose Set as Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen.
Step 6: Link it to a Focus (optional)
If you've set up a Focus for travel or family time, link it so this Lock Screen appears whenever that Focus is on:
- Press the side button.
- Touch and hold the Lock Screen until Customize appears.
- Tap Focus near the bottom of the wallpaper.
- Select a Focus, then confirm.
Apple notes that if a Lock Screen links to a Focus, switching away from that Lock Screen also switches your Focus.
Switch back when you're home
- Press the side button and touch and hold the Lock Screen until Customize appears.
- Swipe to your everyday Lock Screen and tap it.
To delete the travel one, swipe to it, swipe up, tap the delete button, then tap Delete This Wallpaper. Or keep it for the December holidays.
Tips
- Check readability with notifications showing. Busy art behind the clock is hard to read.
- Give widgets room. Pick a photo with calm space near the top.
- Name your Focus clearly so you know which Lock Screen it brings up.
Troubleshooting
- No Add button: touch and hold again and enter your passcode.
- Focus changed by itself: the Lock Screen you switched to or from is linked to a Focus.
Going further with ScreenLux
ScreenLux is the wallpaper app I built, and on iPhone its live wallpapers arrive as Live Photos for the Lock Screen, so a fall or Thanksgiving design can move. The seasonal styles are at customphonewallpapers.com. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.
ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.
My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.
- iPhone and iPad: ScreenLux on the App Store
Sources checked (official help pages, Oct 20, 2026): Apple iPhone User Guide, "Create a custom iPhone Lock Screen" (support.apple.com/guide/iphone/create-a-custom-lock-screen-iph4d0e6c351/ios)
Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux
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