How to Set a Custom Charging Animation on iPhone

iPhone has no built-in setting for a custom charging animation — there’s no toggle in Settings that swaps the default battery splash. But you can absolutely get one, and it works without a jailbreak. The trick is the Automations feature in Apple’s free Shortcuts app: it detects the moment your phone starts charging and plays an animation or sound you choose. Here’s the full setup, plus the easier shortcut Wallpaper Hub provides.

How it actually works

When you plug in, iOS can run an automation triggered by the charger connecting. You point that automation at an animation file or a short video, and it plays full-screen the instant power is detected. No system hack — just Shortcuts doing what it’s designed to do.

You’ll need:

• The Shortcuts app (pre-installed; redownload from the App Store if you removed it).
• An animation or short video to play — picked from a library or made yourself.

The fast way: a ready-made animation

Building the automation by hand works, but matching it to a clean, properly-sized animation is the fiddly part. The charging animation collection in Wallpaper Hub gives you animations built for this — sized to fill the screen, with the shortcut setup streamlined so you tap to add rather than wiring it up from scratch.

1. Open Wallpaper Hub and browse the charging animation collection.
2. Pick one — energy rings, liquid fills, neon pulses, anime effects.
3. Follow the in-app prompt to add it; it hands the animation to Shortcuts and configures the charging trigger for you.
4. Plug in to test.

If you’d rather build it yourself, here’s the manual route.

The manual way, step by step

1. Save your video/animation to Photos first.
2. Open Shortcuts and tap the Automation tab at the bottom.
3. Tap + (or New Automation), then scroll to and choose Charger.
4. Set it to run when the charger is Connected.
5. Choose Run Immediately so it fires without asking — and turn off “Notify When Run” so no banner interrupts the animation.
6. Tap Next, then New Blank Automation (or Add Action).
7. Add an action that plays your media. A common combo: Play Video (full screen) pointing at your saved file, or a Show Web Page action loading the animation. Hide the system UI where the action allows.
8. Save the automation.
9. Plug in to test it.

About sound

A charging animation can include a sound effect — the satisfying “ping” when you plug in. If you want a custom sound, the ringtones library has short clips that pair well with the visuals.

Important limits to know

This isn’t a true system replacement, so set expectations:

• It plays once, on connect. The animation runs when you plug in, then your normal lock screen returns. It does not loop while charging.
• The screen must be on or wake on connect for you to see it. If the phone is face-down and stays asleep, you’ll hear sound but not see the visual.
• It uses Shortcuts each time. On older devices there can be a brief beat before it plays.
• No jailbreak, no risk. Everything here uses Apple’s own apps, so there’s nothing to undo and no warranty concern.

Troubleshooting

Nothing plays when I plug in. Reopen the automation and confirm Run Immediately is on and the Charger > Connected trigger is selected. If it’s set to “Ask Before Running,” it’ll wait for a tap instead of playing.

A notification banner appears instead of the animation. Turn off Notify When Run in the automation settings.

It plays but looks cropped or small. The video isn’t sized for the screen. Use a portrait animation around 1290 × 2796, or pick one from the charging animation library, which is pre-sized.

It stopped working after an iOS update. Updates occasionally reset automations. Open Shortcuts and toggle the automation off and back on, or re-add it.

FAQ

Does this drain my battery? Negligibly. It plays a few seconds of video once per plug-in, then stops.

Will it slow down charging? No. The animation is purely visual and doesn’t affect charging speed.

Can I have different animations for different chargers? The trigger is “charger connected” generally, not per-cable, so it plays the same animation on any charger. You can swap which animation it uses anytime by editing the automation.

Related reading

• How to Make Your iPhone Aesthetic in 2026
• Do Live Wallpapers Drain iPhone Battery?

For charging animations pre-sized and ready to add — plus matching ringtones and live wallpapers — Get Wallpaper Hub on the App Store