How to Put Affirmations on Your iPhone Lock Screen

An affirmation on a sticky note works until the note falls off. An affirmation on your Lock Screen is different: you see it every time you pick up your phone, which for most of us is dozens of times a day, usually at the exact moments we're looking for a distraction from a hard thought. Here's how to put one there.

Which option fits you?

Option	Your own words	Changes on its own	Setup
App widget	No (the app's lines)	Yes	About 2 minutes
Shortcuts widget	Yes, one short line	No	About 3 minutes
Wallpaper	Yes, any length	With Photo Shuffle	About 1 minute with our wallpaper maker

Option 1: An Affirmation App Widget (Easiest)

An affirmations app does the two things a note can't: it changes the line over time, and it fits the small Lock Screen widget slots iOS gives you. Gentle offers Lock Screen widgets in all three shapes iOS allows (circular, rectangular and inline, above the clock) and Home Screen widgets in small, medium and large. The affirmation you're reading in the app is the one that shows in the widget, so you decide what stays in view. (Gentle is our app, so weigh that; the other two options below need no app at all.)

To add a Lock Screen widget on iOS 18 or later:

1. Download Gentle from the App Store and open it once, so iOS registers its widgets.
2. Wake your iPhone, then press and hold the Lock Screen until the wallpaper gallery appears. (Unlock with Face ID first, but stay on the Lock Screen.)
3. Tap Customize, then Lock Screen.
4. Tap the widget frame below the time. A list of apps opens.
5. Scroll to Gentle and tap it, then tap the shape you want: the rectangular widget shows the most words; the circular one shows a short line; the inline widget sits above the clock.
6. Tap outside the widget area, then tap Done.

Apple's own article on adding and editing widgets covers the same Lock Screen steps for any app.

Adding the Widget to Your Home Screen

Home Screen widgets have room for a whole sentence, so this is where a longer affirmation lives. On iOS 18 or later:

1. Press and hold an empty part of your Home Screen until the apps jiggle.
2. Tap Edit in the top-left corner, then Add Widget.
3. Search for Gentle, or scroll to it.
4. Swipe to choose a size (small, medium or large), then tap Add Widget.
5. Drag it where you want it and tap Done.

Apple's guide to adding and editing widgets has screenshots for each step.

Option 2: Your Own Words With a Shortcuts Widget

If you've written an affirmation you want to keep exactly as it is, the Shortcuts app can display it. A Shortcuts Lock Screen widget shows the shortcut's icon and name, so the trick is to name a shortcut with your line.

1. Open Shortcuts and tap + to make a new shortcut.
2. Add any simple action (for example, Show Result with the same line as its text), so the shortcut is valid.
3. Tap the name at the top, choose Rename, and type your affirmation. Keep it short; the widget shows one line.
4. Tap Done.
5. Press and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, then Lock Screen, then the widget frame.
6. Choose Shortcuts, pick the rectangular widget, then tap it to select your shortcut.

The trade-off is that the line never changes unless you rename the shortcut, and tapping the widget runs the shortcut. For one sentence you want to live with for a while, that's fine.

Option 3: Your Own Words as a Wallpaper

The oldest method still works: put the words on the picture itself. The quickest way is our free affirmation wallpaper maker: pick a line or type your own, choose a background, and it makes an iPhone-sized image with the words placed clear of the clock. To do it by hand in Photos instead:

1. Open Photos, pick a calm image, and tap Edit, then the Markup pen.
2. Tap + and choose Text. Type your affirmation, resize it, and place it in the lower half of the image so the clock doesn't cover it.
3. Tap Done to save a copy.
4. Go to Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Photos, choose the image, and set it as your Lock Screen.

This gives you full control over the font and the picture, and no widget slot is used. The downside is the same as the sticky note: it never changes, and after a week or two you stop seeing it.

Want it to change? Make a few of these images, then use Photo Shuffle: go to Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Photo Shuffle, tap Select Photos Manually, pick your affirmation images, and choose how often it changes (On Tap, On Lock, Hourly or Daily). Your Lock Screen rotates through them on its own (Apple Support). It's still your own words; you just have to write the next batch yourself.

Prefer a line that arrives at a set time instead? Our guide to getting a daily affirmation on your iPhone covers Reminders and a Shortcuts automation that picks a random line.

Lock Screen or Home Screen: Which Should You Use?

If you only add one, make it the Lock Screen. You see it without unlocking, which means you meet the line at the reflex moment of picking up your phone, before the feed does anything to your mood. The Home Screen widget is the better place for a longer sentence you want to read slowly, and for the days you're actively using your phone.

Many people use both: a short line above the clock, and a fuller one on the first Home Screen page.

Affirmations in StandBy, While Your iPhone Charges

StandBy turns a charging iPhone into a bedside display, and it can show widgets, which makes it a calm place for a kind line at night or first thing in the morning. On iOS 17 or later:

1. Turn on Settings → StandBy.
2. Put your iPhone on charge, lock it, and stand it on its side so it isn't moving.
3. Swipe to the widget view, then touch and hold a widget stack (unlock with Face ID when asked).
4. Tap +, choose an affirmations app's small widget, such as Gentle's, and tap Done.

Apple's guide to using StandBy covers the other views. And if you use a Sleep or Work Focus, you can give it its own Lock Screen with its own affirmation: in Settings → Focus, choose the Focus and link a Lock Screen under Customize Screens.

Widget Not Showing? Six Fixes

• Open the app once. iOS only lists an app's widgets after the app has been launched.
• Check your iOS version. Lock Screen widgets need iOS 16 or later; Gentle needs iOS 18 or later. Settings → General → Software Update.
• Look at the right Lock Screen. Widgets belong to a specific Lock Screen. If a Focus switched yours, press and hold the Lock Screen and swipe to the one you customised.
• Give it a moment. A new widget can show a placeholder for a minute while iOS loads it. Low Power Mode also slows widget refreshes.
• Remove and re-add it. In Customize, tap the minus on the widget, then add it again.
• Restart your iPhone. It clears most stuck widgets.

If Gentle's widget still won't appear after that, email hello@getgentle.app with your iOS version and we'll help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Apple Support. How to add and edit widgets on your iPhone.
• Apple Support. Add, edit, and remove widgets on iPhone.
• Apple Support. Change your iPhone wallpaper (Photo Shuffle).