How to make your iPhone change wallpaper automatically: a 3-step MiraFolio guide

MiraFolio keeps the collection, playback order and no-repeat queue under your control. Apple Shortcuts connects that next photo to a personal automation, while iOS performs the final wallpaper change.

Step 1: choose the photos and rotation rules

Open MiraFolio and decide which collection should feed the wallpaper. A smaller, intentional source is easier to verify before expanding it.

• Choose an album, folder, tag group or Private Album source.
• Select no-repeat random or sequential playback.
• Use orientation filters when portrait and landscape photos need different treatment.

Step 2: install and test the MiraFolio Shortcut

Install the Shortcut supplied by MiraFolio, open it in Apple Shortcuts and run it manually once. Approve the requested photo and wallpaper permissions when iOS asks.

• Keep the built-in MiraFolio action that returns the next photo.
• Keep the system wallpaper action that applies the result.
• Run the Shortcut once and confirm the expected collection advances.

Step 3: create a personal automation

In Shortcuts, create a personal automation and choose the trigger that matches your routine. Use the tested MiraFolio Shortcut as the action.

• Time of Day for a regular morning or evening change.
• Charger for a change when connecting or disconnecting power.
• Focus for work, sleep or personal wallpaper collections.
• Arrive or Leave when a location-based change is useful.

If the wallpaper does not change

Test the same path from the simplest point first: MiraFolio, then the Shortcut, then the automation trigger.

• Run the Shortcut manually and check photo and wallpaper permissions.
• Confirm the selected source still contains eligible photos.
• Check orientation filters if the source appears empty.
• Review the automation trigger and whether iOS asks for confirmation.
• Remember that the original photo can be cropped differently by the system wallpaper layout.

Before automating, prove the complete path manually

An automation is easier to troubleshoot when you first know that every individual step works. Open MiraFolio, select the exact folder or tag source you intend to rotate, and ask the app for the next wallpaper. Then run the installed shortcut directly from the Shortcuts app while the iPhone is unlocked. Confirm that the shortcut receives one image, reaches Apple’s wallpaper action, and changes the intended Lock Screen or Home Screen. This separates a source or permission problem from a trigger problem.

• The selected MiraFolio source contains at least one usable photo.
• The shortcut returns a different eligible photo according to the chosen playback rule.
• Shortcuts has permission to run MiraFolio actions and access the returned image.
• The wallpaper action targets the correct Lock Screen, Home Screen, or wallpaper pair.
• A second manual run succeeds before any personal automation is added.

Choose a trigger that matches the rhythm you actually want

Time and charging triggers are usually the easiest starting points because they are predictable and simple to reproduce. Focus, location, Wi-Fi, and app triggers can be more contextual, but they may also fire more often than expected or overlap with another automation. Begin with one trigger, observe it for a day, and add another only when each automation has a distinct purpose. If two triggers can run close together, point them at the same source or decide which scene should take priority.

Highlights: iPhone & iPad

Give every favorite photo its turn, then let Shortcuts change the wallpaper around your routines — without giving up control of the collection.

• Random without repeats: Every photo gets a turn before MiraFolio reshuffles. Switch to sequential playback whenever order matters.
• Built for Apple Shortcuts: Change, archive, switch sources or tag the current wallpaper through actions that fit time, charging, Focus and location automations.
• Archive with one gesture: Remove a photo from future rotation while keeping a reversible history instead of rebuilding a system wallpaper set.
• A separate Private Album: Keep selected images outside Apple Photos, protect access with Face ID or Touch ID and optionally sync through your own iCloud account.
• Move a collection over local Wi-Fi: Import batches directly from a computer browser on the same network without routing them through a MiraFolio server.
• Folders, tags and optional AI: Build rotation sources across folders and tags, or connect an OpenAI-compatible provider of your choice for tag suggestions.

Frequently asked questions