The Left Wallpaper: A Lock Screen That Updates Itself
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.
What it can show
- Year progress
- Life in weeks (a dot grid)
- A countdown to a date you choose
- A blend of a photo and a time view
How it actually works
Inside the app, Left's WallpaperGenerator writes a PNG into the App Group Wallpapers/ directory. An App Shortcut (UpdateDynamicWallpaperIntent) regenerates it on demand. You wire that Shortcut into an Apple Shortcuts Automation — usually "every hour" or "when I unlock my iPhone" — 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
Tap Open Shortcuts to go to the Shortcuts app. Tap + in the top-right corner to create a new shortcut.
2. Build the shortcut
Search the action "Left wallpaper" and tap to add it. Then search again for "Set Wallpaper Photo" and add that too. Set it up for Lock Screen, and turn off both Show Preview and Crop to Subject. Give the shortcut a name like "Left Wallpaper" and save.
3. Create the automation
Go to the Automation tab in Shortcuts. Tap + and create a new Time of Day automation. Set it to run daily at 00:01 (or any time you prefer). Choose Run Immediately and turn off Notify When Run.
4. Automate the shortcut
Tap Next, then search for the shortcut you created in step 2 and select it. 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 for redundancy.
- Pre-generation runs on app launch so the wallpaper's ready when you switch to it.
Start noticing what matters.
Download Left on your iPhone to see the time you have left, dates you are looking forward to, build the habits you want to keep, and become a better version of yourself.
Scan with your camera to find Left on the App Store. Or search "Left" on the App Store.