iOS 16 finally brings us one of the most iconic iPhone wallpapers of all time

Fake iPhone 12 concept
Fake iPhone 12 concept (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore - iPhone 12 concept)

What you need to know

  • iOS 16 beta 3 was released on Wednesday.
  • It includes a brand new iconic iPhone wallpaper.
  • The Clownfish wallpaper first debuted when Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone but has never been available to the public.

Apple has this week debuted one of its most iconic wallpapers for iPhone more than 15 years after it was shown to the public for the first time.

With the release of the iOS 16 beta on Wednesday, Apple has added the below Clownfish wallpaper to iPhone.

See more

This iconic image is one of the best iPhone wallpapers ever and was used by Steve Jobs when he debuted the original iPhone back in 2007. Despite its fame, it has never officially been made available to the public, until now. With the Clownfish wallpaper popping up in iOS 16 this week it seems safe to assume it will also be available to the public both in those betas and in the fall when it is officially released.

iOS 16 should debut later this year alongside iPhone 14 and brings with it a host of new improvements including some massive Lock Screen customization upgrades. The Clownfish wallpaper actually makes use of some of this, offering users crisp new time and date fonts that interact with elements in the photos to give never-before-seen levels of depth and realism on your lock screen.

All of these major Lock Screen updates are also expected to make use of a big new always-on display upgrade coming to the iPhone 14 'Pro' this fall.

Some users have reported not being able to see this wallpaper in the beta, at least initially after downloading, while for others it has popped up after a few hours, so if you're on the new beta and want in on the action just keep checking!

iOS 16 was announced at WWDC 2022 alongside iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS Ventura. Public betas of all of these are expected to debut this months, possibly in the next few days.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9