Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police | Alexander Sobol / Shutterstock
By
Jenny McGrath
Published Feb 27, 2026, 12:15 PM EST
Jenny has over a decade of experience covering science and technology. In 2014, she started reviewing smart-home devices and kitchen appliances at Digital Trends. She also covered smart-home tech for Business Insider starting in 2020. All of her light bulbs are connected, her oven has WiFi, and her phone is filled with apps for almost any smart-home device you can think of.
When she's not issuing requests to her Google Home, she's reading, hanging out with her cats, or planning her next trip. She always has podcast recommendations.
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I work from home, so my camera roll is filled with pictures of my cats, screenshots of books I see recommended on social media, and the occasional photo from nights out with friends.
While I love having images of my family and pets as my phone's background, sometimes I want it to inspire some wanderlust or spark memories, instead.
Luckily, there are great resources for turning your phone's wallpaper into an inspirational scrapbook of places you'd like to travel to or simply a showcase for the world's wonders or your niche interests.
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Posts 1 By Irene OkpanachiUnsplash has stunning images that are free to use
They're also royalty-free
Credit: USGS / Unsplash
Whether you want a picture of a polar bear lounging in Svalbard or some prickly cacti in Arizona, you'll find it on Unsplash.
Getty Images owns the service, which collects photographs from users and lets people download without breaking out their credit cards or even creating an account.
It's great for anyone looking for high-quality images but less than ideal for photographers who make a living from their art.
Some images are restricted to Unsplash+, a subscription plan that allows unlimited downloads each month. The plan also pays photographers, who don't get compensation for their photos on the free service.
Credit: Unsplash/USGSClose
It brings back memories lost to shoddy cameras
Taking phone pictures over a decade ago wasn't the same
Credit: Halil Ibrahim Cetinkaya / Unsplash
On a trip to Istanbul many years ago, I visited Hagia Sophia. The nearly 1,600-year-old structure, now a mosque, was so incredible that I only remembered to snap a few pictures.
All the photos are fuzzy. My camera wasn't great to begin with, so I couldn't even begin to capture the grandeur.
If I want to relive that trip, I can easily find any number of images on Unsplash, showing the interior and exterior, with and without cats.
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I can get inspiration for future trips
Or just enhance a great meal
Credit: Avinash Bharti / Unsplash
Recently, I went to a restaurant that serves food from Keralam, a state in southwestern India. Unsplash has some breathtaking pictures of the area, which has hundreds of miles of coast, hills, and highlands.
One of my dining companions told me Keralam is known for its seafood, and after browsing through some photos, it's easy to see why. The beaches are beautiful, and the pictures are full of boats.
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The nature images are far better than I could capture
It's not every day you see an active volcano
Credit: USGS / Unsplash
I don't own a drone or telephoto lens or even a full-size tripod. Phone cameras have come a long way, but they can only take you so far.
I'm not headed to the middle of the rainforest or within sniffing distance of a grizzly anytime soon. Yet I greatly admire photographers who do this work, which is where Unsplash falls short. It's a controversial site, since most of the images are free.
Professionals say this undervalues their work and hurts their business.
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Many public institutions have a wealth of photos available through Unsplash
NASA has out-of-this-world pics, for example
Credit: NASA Hubble Space Telescope / Unsplash
One way to use Unsplash without taking advantage of artists is to stick to images from libraries, museums, and government agencies who offer photos through the service.
For example, the US Geological Survey, NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have options from all over the world (and beyond) that are in the public domain.
The New York Public Library, Cleveland ARt Museum, McGill University, and other institutions have similar collections, though they're not necessarily in the public domain. Still, you'll find incredible artwork, historic photos, and gorgeous scientific illustrations.
While you can get these photos from the entities' websites, it's convenient to have them all in one place.
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Resplash is an easy way to use Unsplash images for your wallpaper
You may want to adjust the photos' focal point though
Credit: NOAA / Unsplash
The app lets you search Unspalsh and automatically set photos as your wallpaper. It can also quickly open the site to give you more information about the picture.
Subscribe to our newsletter for wallpaper inspiration
Discover curated wallpaper picks, top image sources, and app tips, subscribe to the newsletter for vetted resources, ethical photo options, and creative ideas to refresh your phone background with travel-worthy visuals. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.I found the composition was sometimes off, centered on the wrong part of the photo. I would have to fix it in my phone's wallpaper settings, which let me drag the photo around until it showed exactly what I wanted.
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A wallpaper changer lets you cycle through your favorites
For those who can't commit to just one image
Credit: NYPL / Unsplash
If you use the same picture as your phone's wallpaper for months, it tends to fade into the background. You get so used to looking at it every day that you barely notice it.
That's why I like to rotate my wallpaper. Wallpaper Changer is an app that does this for you automatically. You can pick which images to cycle through and how frequently you want to switch them.
It's pretty bare bones, but it gets the job done if your phone doesn't have a built-in setting for this.
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You don't have to be the world's greatest photographer to express yourself
How many of us are really going to Antarctica?
Credit: USGS / Unsplash
Some globe-trotters take their own jaw-dropping images from mountain peaks one month and sandy beaches the next. Others have devoted hours to learning how to capture the full moon as it appears to loom over a cityscape.
Not everyone can accomplish either, but that doesn't mean your phone background has to be ordinary. If you love tropical flowers or tiny poisonous frogs or Gothic architecture, your wallpaper can still reflect your passions, even if you didn't take the snap yourself.
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Phones
Subscribe to our newsletter for wallpaper inspiration
Discover curated wallpaper picks, top image sources, and app tips, subscribe to the newsletter for vetted resources, ethical photo options, and creative ideas to refresh your phone background with travel-worthy visuals. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Trending Now
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