View Full-Screen Album Art on iPhone Lock Screen in iOS 16

It’s worth pointing out that there is nothing new about the full-screen album art on the Lock Screen as it was present in older versions of iOS. However, Apple removed it in the modern versions. In more ways than one, the story of album art on the Lock Screen is very similar to that of the battery percentage indicator that had also been scrapped on the Face ID-equipped iPhone models. So, it’s good to see both these nifty features back in action. 

  1. First off, launch your favorite music streaming app on your iPhone running iOS 16 or later.  Sticky note: 

If you are wondering which music streaming apps support this feature, let me tell you that it works with most apps. That means you can use it with not only Apple Music but also third-party offerings like Spotify and YouTube Music.

  1. Now, play any music. 
  2. Next, simply lock and wake your iPhone to view the Lock Screen. Alternately, you can just swipe down from the top to check the Lock Screen. 
  3. Finally, tap on the tiny album art in the audio player to view the full-screen album art on the iPhone Lock Screen.  And that’s about it! Now, the album art will appear in a much larger form on the Lock Screen. 

Switch Back to the Compact Album Art on iPhone Lock Screen

Later, if you ever want the album art to show in the default layout, all you need to do is just tap the full-screen album art. It will revert to the usual compact form. 

Wrapping Up…

While the ability to view the full-screen album art on the Lock Screen in iOS 16 may not be a big ticket feature, it feels great to see it back. Features like the iPhone haptic feedback, marking messages as read, editing iMessage, and removing background from images have made iOS a lot richer. What do you have to say about these new add-ons?