Apple previewed iOS 26 at WWDC 2025 as the next iteration of the iPhone operating system (OS) and showcased several of its notable capabilities. One feature which the company did not actively advertise but is making its way to the iPhone is support for animated artwork on the lock screen. At present, only albums playing through Apple Music can display artwork on the iPhone’s lock screen, but with the anticipated iOS 26 update, third-party music streaming apps may be able to benefit from it too.
Animated Artwork on iPhone Lock Screen
According to a 9to5Mac report, Apple’s iOS 26 Developer Beta 1 update introduces a new API called MPMediaItemAnimatedArtwork. It is meant for displaying an animated image, such as an animated music album or cover art for a media file. Apple says this animated artwork comprises two assets — artwork video asset and a preview image matching the first frame of the artwork.
The MPMediaItemAnimatedArtwork API lets an app with a currently playing track provide the system with an animated video clip that can be displayed on the lock screen. Further, the preview image will be used as a placeholder whilst the video file is fetched and becomes available.
As per the company, the preview file as well as the animated artwork video will only be required at the point of display and can be fetched individually. This API aims to provide preview images as quickly as possible once requested by the music streaming app, in sync with the video file.
While official details about the apps supporting this feature remain under wraps, the report suggests that Spotify, one of the biggest alternatives to Apple Music, may take advantage of it. Apple has made it available in the developer SDK following the release of the iOS 16 Developer Beta 1 update. This means third-party app developers can integrate support for the API in their apps.
In addition to music streaming apps, the report states that audiobooks and podcasts will also be able to provide video artwork on the iPhone’s lock screen leveraging the new API, if available.
