Fixed: iOS 16/17 Depth Effect not Working on iPhone 15/14/13/12

One of the more interesting features you will get after upgrading iOS 16/17 is the iPhone Depth Effect. This enables a remarkable depth illusion by allowing portions of the lock screen wallpaper to cross over the time and widgets.

It almost always works, but sometimes it doesn't. The "Depth Effect" option may occasionally be disabled and lead to iOS 16/17 Depth Effect not working on iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/X. Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem. The iOS Depth Effect not working for iPhone wallpapers bug can be resolved as shown here.

Why is Depth Effect not working after update iOS 16/17?

Before looking for specific solutions to troubleshoot your issue, it is necessary to figure out the reason to the issue, and the main reasons are as follow:

✘ Unsupported image. The image itself may be one of the causes of the Depth Effect function not working problem after updating to iOS 16/17. The topic of the photo should stand out against the background.
✘ Enabled widgets. If you enable widgets on the lock screen on your iPhone, you won’t utilize a wallpaper with the depth effect.
✘ Operating system issue. Since the iOS 16/17 was just released, any operating system issues may cause the Depth Effect function not accessible.

Fixes to iOS 16/17 Depth Effect not working

The followings are the specific solutions when you encounter such issue on your iPhone. You can try them one after another until the trouble gets fixed and make your iOS 16/17 lock screen unique.

Fix 1. Check whether your iPhone/wallpaper is supported

Although the Depth Effect is a simple feature, it does require a few prerequisites in order to function, such as the model of your iPhone and the image you used to set up as your wallpaper.

Make sure you have a supported iPhone
The new Depth Effect function is used to customize the wallpaper on your iPhone, which means only iPhones using A12 Bionic and higher can take advantage of this new feature. The followings are the supported iPhone:

▪ iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max.

▪ iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max and SE (Gen 2)

▪ iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max

▪ iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max

▪ iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max

▪ iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max

Make sure you’re using a supported wallpaper
The Depth Effect function supported only certain types of images. It should be included a clearly identifiable subject, like a person, an animal, or a building. Therefore, if you find the Depth Effect function not working, it is recommended to use a different image to help test the feature on your iPhone.

Fix 2. Check the Depth Effect settings

Chance are that your Depth Effect function is disabled by mistake. Although, it is enabled by default, you can follow the steps below to have a check.

Step 1. Unlock your iPhone > Tap and hold on the lock screen to enter the customization mode > Click Customize at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2. Click the 3-dot icon to tap Depth Effect if it is not enabled.

Fix 3. Re-position your wallpaper

If the Depth Effect is enabled but sill not working, there may be something to do with the position of the isolated subject in the wallpaper. If the isolate subject dominate the majority of the widget and clock space, it may be difficult to view the data, which will lead to the Depth Effect will fail to work.

You can use your two fingers to drag and pinch the wallpaper to re-position your wallpaper from the customization screen. Then, tap Done to save your change.

Fix 4. Remove Lock Screen widgets

If there are too many widgets on your lock screen, the effect of the Depth Effect functions will be influenced more or less. You can follow the steps below to remove some of your lock screen widgets to maximize the effect of the function.

Unlock your iPhone > Tap and hold on to your lock screen and tap Customize > Tap a widget area to edit the widget or tap the - icon to remove it.

Fix 5. Force restart iPhone

Force restarting your iPhone is the simplest and useful way to solve some common issues on iPhone. Just to have a try to avoid iOS 16/17 lock screen depth effect not working.

Force restart iPhone with a Face ID:
Quickly press and release the Volume Up button > Quickly press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo.

Force restart iPhone with a Home button:
Hold down the Home button and the Power button at the same time > Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

Conclusion

That’s all for the solutions to the issue - your iPhone iOS 16/17 Depth Effect not working. Actually, it's not a big deal, and simple force restart or adjustment can help yourself out. Hope you can now customize a satisfactory lock screen after reading this guide. If this guide helps you, please share it with others.