iOS 13 – Create Light/Dark Wallpaper

customizationhackingwallpaper

Does anybody know what kind of file are the wallpapers that came with iOS 13 that change with light / dark mode? I’d like to make one myself.

Best Answer

I have a good feeling that the Dark/Light themed wallpapers work similarly to how Dark/Light themed images work with WebKit.

As of macOS Mojave, website developers can make their webpages change based on the system theme (light or dark). Websites that support dark mode will have at least 2 images, a dark-themed image and a light-themed image. When a user changes their theme from light to dark (or vise versa), the webpage will transition from one image to the other accordingly.

For their light/dark wallpapers, Apple may have created two similar images and given them the exclusive ability to transition when the Dark Mode setting changes; but I cannot be 100% certain. If this is the case, they probably just use a standard image file format but made it so only they can make transitioning wallpapers.

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MacOS – How to change a filetype’s “Kind” value in the Finder

/path/to/default/app/Contents/Info.plist → CFBundleDocumentTypes → CFBundleTypeName:

<key>CFBundleTypeExtensions</key>
<array>
    <string>adb</string>
    <string>ads</string>
</array>
<key>CFBundleTypeIconFile</key>
<string>ADA</string>
<key>CFBundleTypeName</key>
<string>ADA source</string>

Modifying files inside application bundles invalidates the code signature and changes aren't necessarily respected by updates.

How to Set Dark Mode Dynamically on iPhone Like macOS

Assuming you have iOS 13 installed, follow these steps:

Go to Settings
Tap on Display & Brightness
Enable the Automatic option (it’s just below the Light and Dark images at top)
This will reveal the Options setting - tap on this
You can now choose between Sunset to Sunrise or setting a Custom Schedule
Selecting the:
- Sunset to Sunrise setting will mimic what macOS does with its Dynamic Desktop (i.e. change from Light to Dark mode based on your location)
- Custom Schedule setting means you can manually select the exact times you want it to change from Light to Dark and back again

NOTE:

Since you're also wanting your iPhone background image (or Wallpaper) to change dynamically, you will need to go to Settings > Wallpaper and toggle the Dark Appearance Dims Wallpaper option. This doesn't work in the same was as it does in macOS, but your Wallpaper's appearance will change somewhat whenever your iPhone changes from Light to Dark and back again

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MacOS – How to change a filetype’s “Kind” value in the Finder

How to Set Dark Mode Dynamically on iPhone Like macOS

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