Live Frame
Your photos, right where you already look
Live Frame puts an album from your library on the iPhone Lock Screen — a real photo, full size, changing through the day. Not a wallpaper you set once and forget. Not a tiny widget you squint at.
Nothing is uploaded. Your photos never leave your iPhone.Pick an album. Pick your times. Done.
That's the whole setup — no account, no sign-in, no cloud.
Choose an album
Live Frame keeps a downsized copy of the pictures in its own storage on the iPhone. Only that copy is read by the Lock Screen.
Start a session — or schedule one
Tap “Start” for a frame right now. With Pro you set recurring time windows: after work, Sunday morning, whenever the people in those photos deserve the glance.
Watch it change
A tap on the arrow jumps to the next picture. With Pro the frame rotates on its own, as often as every 5 minutes.
Think of it as a digital photo frame that lives on your Lock Screen — and on the nightstand in StandBy. Live Frame uses the Lock Screen through Apple's Live Activities, which iOS ends after about eight hours. That's an iOS limit, not an app limit — which is exactly why Live Frame is built around time windows instead of pretending to run forever.
Made for the photos you'd otherwise scroll past
A camera roll holds thousands of pictures. A Lock Screen shows one — at the moment you'd actually look.
We built Live Frame because the photos we cared about lived in a camera roll we never opened, and the one screen we look at all day showed a wallpaper we'd stopped seeing. It's made in Berlin by a small team; nothing you put in it ever leaves your phone.
Straight from the iPhone
Lock Screen, widgets, the app — no mockups.
What makes Live Frame
A real photo, not a tile
Full size on the Lock Screen — with album name, position and remaining time, or as a clean frame with nothing else at all.
Nothing leaves your iPhone
No account, no cloud, no analysis of your pictures. You see exactly which photos are prepared and how much space they take — and delete them with one tap.
Runs when you want it to
Time windows instead of always-on. Up to fourteen per week, up to eight hours each, each with its own pace — a slow Sunday, a fast morning.
Weather between the photos
Optionally, a weather card for your location slips into the rotation — temperature and conditions, powered by Apple Weather.
Home Screen widgets
Small and medium widgets with the same album, changing as often as every 5 minutes — no session needed.
On the nightstand and the wrist
In the Dynamic Island, sideways in StandBy while your iPhone charges, and in the Smart Stack on Apple Watch.
Reframe any photo
Smart cropping picks the frame; with Pro you correct it by hand for the pictures where the automatic crop cuts off the wrong person.
Pricing
Free to start. Pay once or subscribe — both unlock the same features.
Free
$0
no account, no time limit on the app
- 8 photos per album
- One 30-minute session per day, started by hand
- Next photo on tap
- Weather card once a day
Pro
$2.99 / month
or $19.99 / year
- Up to 100 photos
- Automatic rotation, down to every 5 minutes
- 14 scheduled windows per week, up to 8 h each
- Shuffle, captions, clean frame, reframe
- Live weather at your chosen refresh rate
Lifetime
$29.99
one-time purchase, yours for good
- Everything in Pro
- Weather card once a day
- Live weather as a $0.99 / month add-on
Prices shown in USD; your App Store shows your local price. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period and are managed in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use (EULA) · Privacy Policy
Common questions
Does Live Frame change my wallpaper?
No. Your wallpaper stays exactly as it is. Live Frame shows your photos through a Live Activity on the Lock Screen — a surface that appears in addition, and that you start and end yourself.
Are my photos uploaded?
No, never. The app keeps a downsized copy of the chosen album in its own storage on the iPhone; only that copy is read by the Lock Screen. There is no account and no photo server.
Why does it stop after a few hours?
iOS ends every Live Activity after about eight hours. That cannot be bypassed — so Live Frame works with time windows you define. On iOS 26 each window starts by itself at the time you set. More on the 8-hour limit →
What does it cost?
The core is free: 8 photos, one 30-minute session a day, next photo on tap. Pro extends that to 100 photos, automatic rotation down to every 5 minutes and 14 scheduled windows a week — $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year, each with seven days free. Or pay $29.99 once for Lifetime, which includes everything in Pro except live weather (available as a $0.99 a month add-on).
What is a Live Activity photo widget?
A Live Activity is the iOS surface normally used for timers, deliveries and sports scores: a card that sits on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island for up to eight hours. Live Frame uses it to show a full-size photo instead, so your pictures appear without touching your wallpaper or your Home Screen. Live Activity vs. wallpaper vs. widget →
Where does the weather come from?
From Apple Weather (WeatherKit), for the location you allow in the app. The app fetches weather only while a session runs; your location is not stored on our servers. Weather data sources.
Is there an Android version?
Not currently. Android has no Live Activities; the right counterpart there would be a home-screen widget — researched, but not built yet.
Which iPhone do I need?
iOS 18 or later. Live Activities must be allowed for the app in Settings. The Dynamic Island view needs an iPhone 14 Pro or newer; the Lock Screen frame works on every iPhone running iOS 18.
Guides
One page per question — for people who want their photos on the iPhone.