The Left Wallpaper: A Lock Screen That Updates Itself

Updated October 20, 2026 · 2 min read

iOS wallpapers are static. Widgets aren't. Left Wallpaper sits in between - it generates a wallpaper image with your live time data, then uses an Apple Shortcut to update itself. It is free to use. See the days left wallpaper page for examples.

Get the days left wallpaper

What it can show

• Your year (in days, weeks or months), month, or a calendar view
• Your life in years, months or weeks (a grid of symbols)
• A countdown to any Ahead date you choose (Special Date)
• A photo background, from My photos or Unsplash, with a blur, under any of these

What to put on it

• The year in days, for a quick "days left" count every time you wake the phone
• Your life in weeks, as a life calendar
• A countdown to a trip or event, using Special Date
• A photo you like, blurred, with a grid on top

How it actually works

In Left, you choose a mode, a symbol, light or dark appearance, a theme color and whether to show the legend (text like "73 days left"). Left then offers a wallpaper action in Apple Shortcuts. You wire that action into a Shortcuts Automation that runs every day, so the wallpaper stays current without you doing anything.

Setup, step by step

You'll build a Shortcut that asks Left to regenerate the wallpaper, then a daily Automation that runs that Shortcut. Once it's wired up, you never touch it again.

1. Create a new shortcut

Set up the wallpaper you want in Left first. Then tap Open Shortcuts to go to the Shortcuts app, and tap + to create a new shortcut.

2. Build the shortcut

Search for Wallpaper and tap the action with Left's icon. Then add Set Wallpaper Photo, tap its arrow, and turn off Show Preview, Crop to Subject and Legibility Blur. Give the shortcut a name like "Left Wallpaper".

3. Create the automation

Tap Automation under the search field in Shortcuts and create a new Time of Day automation. Set it to 12:01 AM (or any time you prefer) and repeat Every Day. Turn Notify off.

4. Automate the shortcut

Choose the shortcut you created in step 2 as the action to run. Tap the play button to test it, then use the back arrow to save. Done - your Lock Screen will update itself every day from now on.

Need more detail or screenshots? See the full walkthrough on the Left Wallpaper shortcut support page.

Tips

• iOS may delay automations when the phone is hot or in Low Power Mode - that's the OS, not Left.
• Pair it with a small Lock Screen widget, such as the year progress widget, for redundancy.

Questions

Is Left Wallpaper free?

Yes. Left Wallpaper is free and does not need Left Premium. Special Date mode uses one of your Ahead dates, and the free plan lets you create 2.

Does the wallpaper update every day?

Yes, once the Shortcuts automation is set up. It runs at the time you choose, such as 12:01 AM. To refresh more than once a day, add a second Time of Day automation.

What modes does Left Wallpaper have?

Five: Year, Life, Month, Calendar and Special Date. The legend reads like "73 days left". In Special Date mode it shows months when the date is more than 90 days away, and years when it is more than two years away.

Why did my wallpaper automation not run?

The timing is up to iOS. Check the automation is set to Run Immediately and repeat Every Day. If a run was missed, open Shortcuts and run the shortcut by hand.

Does Low Power Mode stop the wallpaper from updating?

It can delay it. iOS sometimes delays background automations in Low Power Mode, when the phone is hot or when it has not been unlocked recently. Unlock your phone and the automation will catch up.