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How to change the Wallpaper on an iPod touch

Change the photo your iPhone or iPod touch displays at startup. Here’s how.

How to change the Wallpaper on an iPod touch
Mac Tip #408, 28 October 2009

iPod touch startup screen.

iPod touch startup screen.

When you start up your iPod touch or iPhone an image is displayed. You can change that image to one Apple has supplied, or to one of your own choosing. Here’s how.

Note: I can see slight differences between my iPod touch and my iPhone in how this works, but it’s pretty much the same for both.

Watch the video

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Supplied Wallpapers

Apple provide a dozen or so images you can set as the start-up screen Wallpaper:

  1. Go to the iPod’s Settings — General — Wallpaper screen, where you will see a folder called Wallpaper. That folder contains a dozen or more images that Apple supplied with your iPod.
  2. Tap on an image to select it. A screen appears where you can Move and Scale the image.
  3. Move the image around and use pinch gestures to zoom in or out as you wish.
  4. Tap the Set button. The images is set as the new startup Wallpaper.

On my iPhone the Wallpaper folder seems to be one level higher: inside Settings, rather than inside General.

Add an image from the ZooBorns App

Baby Rhino.

Baby Rhino.

Some iPod and iPhone apps allow you to save images they contain. You may wish to use a Saved Photo as your Wallpaper.

One example is the nice little ZooBorns iPhone App. It shows pictures of newborn animals from zoos around the world. Another example is the NASA iPhone app, that includes numerous of NASA’s stunning images.

In the video I show how to add an image from ZooBorns:

  1. Find an image you like and display it on the iPod screen.
  2. Tap the arrow at top right of the screen. A menu appears.
  3. Choose Save Image to Photos. The photo is saved in a Saved Photos folder in the Wallpaper section of the Settings.
  4. Follow the steps for choosing a new Wallpaper.

Add an image from the NASA App

NASA iPhone app.

NASA iPhone app.

Note: I tested this one on my iPhone, so it may be slightly different on the iPod touch.

To set an image from the NASA App as your Wallpaper:

  1. Find an image you like and display it on the iPod screen.
  2. Tap the arrow at bottom left of the screen. A menu appears.
  3. Choose Save to Camera Roll. The photo is saved in a Camera Roll folder in the Wallpaper section of the Settings.
  4. Select a photo, Move and Scale it as you wish and tap the Set button. The selected photos is set as the startup Wallpaper.

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See more from: Snow Leopard,iPhone,iPhoto,iPod

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* 1 comment… read it below and tell us what you think.

amanda110 1 25 January 2010 at 16:06:28

i use iMageFit to make my iPhone wallpaper,
i think ZooBorns is a good app, i’ll try.

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