iOS 26.3 expands the iPhone wallpaper gallery. A new Weather section and more ready-made options!

Apple has released the first beta of iOS 26.3 to developers. The update is rather modest for now, which shouldn’t be surprising – it’s the last beta before the holiday break, and traditionally, more significant updates appear in subsequent releases. Nevertheless, one change stands out: the redesigned iPhone wallpaper gallery. Until now, the system had a shared section called “Weather & Astronomy.” In iOS 26.3, Apple has chosen to split it into two separate sections:

• Weather

• Astronomy

Changing the names is a minor detail, but there’s more to it.

More weather wallpapers, less configuration

The biggest novelty is the expansion of the Weather section. In iOS 26.2, users had access to only one weather wallpaper. In iOS 26.3 beta 1, there are already three different variants. Each of them works on the same principle – the wallpaper displays the current weather conditions for the user's location. Differences appear in the details: Apple has prepared different font styles, various widget layouts, and distinct lock screen compositions.

Everything is ready straight away, without the need to manually tweak each element. This is a clear signal that Apple wants to simplify personalisation. Instead of offering one solution and forcing users to fiddle with settings, the company proposes several polished styles to choose from.

Astronomy separately, order in the gallery

The separation of the Astronomy section is more about organising the interface than a revolution, but the effect is clearer. Wallpapers related to Earth, the Moon or the Solar System no longer get lost in a single shared catalog with weather, making them easier to find. The changes in wallpapers are minor, but they might signal something more in the later part of the iOS 26.3 beta cycle. Apple has been gradually developing the lock screen and context-relevant wallpapers for several versions of the system – weather is a natural direction here.

For now, this looks like a cosmetic, yet sensible improvement. If the next betas bring more dynamic variations or new types of system wallpapers, iOS 26.3 could prove to be more interesting than the initial release suggests. And how about you – do you use Apple’s default wallpapers, or do you always opt for your own photos and custom solutions?