When my iPhone is locked, I can share my website address. This is quite useful also when leaving my phone somewhere. The solution for creating a wallpaper with a QR code combines Pinterest (or any favourite app for backgrounds) with reportlab, a Python library for generating PDFs and graphics such as barcodes and QR codes.
Introduction: iPhone Wallpaper with a QR Code
I use this approach already for a while. Since many people ask me how did I include a QR code into iPhone wallpaper, I am sharing this with everyone, just to close this topic.
Setting an iPhone Wallpaper
You already probably know, that its so easy to use your own photo as a wallpaper for iPhone. Simply, select your photo, press the “share” button, and select “Use as Wallpaper.” Bingo, we have created our unique wallpaper, which differs from the standard one.
Alternatively, use Midjourney, Pinterest or other application to create your wallpaper background, to which we will add a QR code next.
Generating a QR Code in Python with reportlab
Since most of us on this blog like Python, adding a QR code to the photo or any other image is a breeze. We can use the reportlab as follows:
from PyPDF2 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter
from reportlab.graphics import shapes, renderPDF
from reportlab.graphics.barcode import qr
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
# Creating screensaver for iPhone 12
background_image_filename = "/path/to/background.pdf"
width = 1125
height = 2436
pdf = canvas.Canvas(background_image_filename, pagesize=(width, height))
def draw_qr(text="https://daehnhardt.com", size=400):
qr_code = qr.QrCodeWidget(text)
bounds = qr_code.getBounds()
w = bounds[2] - bounds[0]
h = bounds[3] - bounds[1]
drawing = shapes.Drawing(size, size, transform=[int(size / w), 0, 0,
int(size / h), 0, 0])
drawing.add(qr_code)
renderPDF.draw(drawing, pdf, width / 2 - 230, height / 2 - 230)
pdf.save()
draw_qr()
Your can use your own QR code size and its offsets in respect to your background image. Check the What are the different iOS Wallpaper sizes? for size information. Have fun!
Conclusion: A Python QR-Code Wallpaper
We have created a simple iPhone wallpaper with QR code in a few lines of code using reportlab.
iPhone QR-Code Wallpaper FAQ
Which Python library generates a QR code for an image?
This tutorial uses reportlab (from reportlab.graphics.barcode import qr), which draws a QrCodeWidget onto a canvas. Install it with pip install reportlab.
How do I add a QR code to an iPhone wallpaper?
Create or pick a background image, generate the QR code with reportlab sized and offset to sit over the background, then on the iPhone open the image, tap Share, and choose “Use as Wallpaper”.
What resolution should an iPhone wallpaper be?
It depends on the device — the example targets iPhone 12 at 1125x2436 px. Check the per-model dimensions in the linked iOS wallpaper-sizes reference before exporting.
Did you like this post? Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.
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