Quick Answer
It depends on how often the text changes. For text you set once, add it to a photo with Apple's Markup tools, then set that photo as your wallpaper. For notes you change every few days, an app that writes your notes into the wallpaper saves you rebuilding the image each time. NoteWall, our app, does that through an Apple Shortcut; a subscription is required.
Why Put Text on Your iPhone Wallpaper?
Text on the wallpaper is a reminder you never have to open: a goal, a to-do list or a short rule sits behind the clock every time the Lock Screen appears. The catch is getting it there. Apple's Create a custom iPhone Lock Screen guide lists what you can change on the Lock Screen (the wallpaper, the clock's font, widgets, color filters and more), and none of the options it lists is typing your own text onto the wallpaper. So the text has to be part of the image, which leaves two practical ways to add text to iPhone wallpaper.
Method 1: Add Text to a Photo with Markup
Apple's built-in route is Markup. Its Markup guide says that in supported apps, such as Notes and Photos, you can use the Markup tools to add text to your images: in the Markup toolbar, tap the add button, tap Add Text, type in the text box, and use the tools to adjust the text's font, size, justification, style or color. Save the photo, then set it from Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper, tapping Photos at the top of the gallery, as Apple's wallpaper guide describes. It works, but the text is now fixed in one image, so every change means:
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Editing the photo again in Markup
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Keeping the text clear of the clock and date
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Setting the wallpaper again
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Remembering to do all of it when the note goes out of date
For text that never changes, like a favorite quote or a goal for the year, that is fine. For a to-do list or this week's priority, it gets old fast.
Method 2: Let an App Write Your Notes into the Wallpaper
Several App Store apps put notes on the Lock Screen, LockScreenNotes and 3minders among them. NoteWall, our app, takes the wallpaper route: you type notes in the app, it builds the wallpaper image, and an Apple Shortcut called Set NoteWall Wallpaper applies it. NoteWall's FAQ explains why the Shortcut is needed: iOS doesn't let apps change your wallpaper directly. A subscription is required; the App Store shows the terms before you pay. If you would rather start from the notes side, see how to turn a note into your lock screen.
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Your text, laid out for you: you type the notes; the app builds the wallpaper image.
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Applied by a Shortcut: Set NoteWall Wallpaper sets it; tap Allow when it asks for permissions.
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Quick to change: edit a note and tap Update Wallpaper, about 5 seconds by the FAQ's count.
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Room for a short list: typically 3-8 notes fit, depending on length.
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More than notes: reminders, habits and streaks live in the same app.
How to Set Up NoteWall
NoteWall's FAQ lists five setup steps and puts the whole process at about 2 minutes:
Install the Shortcut: add the Set NoteWall Wallpaper shortcut when the app asks.
Add your notes: type the text you want on the wallpaper.
Choose a background: pick the wallpaper background your notes sit on.
Allow permissions: when the shortcut runs, tap Allow for every permission it asks for.
Apply the wallpaper: generate it and let the shortcut set it.
To change the text later, edit the note and tap Update Wallpaper; the shortcut opens and applies the new image. The Shortcut step is the one many people find fiddly, and our troubleshooting guide covers the usual causes, from permission prompts to Focus-linked Lock Screens.
Which Method Should You Use?
Use Markup if the text is permanent, you already have a photo you love, or you do not want another app. Use a notes app like NoteWall if the text changes weekly or more often, or if you want several short notes laid out for you. Either way, keep the text short and away from the clock, and remember that anything on the Lock Screen can be read by whoever picks up your phone.
Want to try the app route? Download NoteWall on the App Store.
Keep Reading: If you found this helpful, check out these related guides:
How to Put Reminders on iPhone Lock Screen (So They Stay)
iPhone Lock Screen Customization Tips: 8 Worth Setting Up
For a comprehensive overview, visit our Lock Screen Productivity Guide.
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NoteWall writes the notes you type into your Lock Screen wallpaper. A subscription is required.
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