How to put Contact and Return Information on iPhone Lock Screen

A while back, I found a lost iPhone on the ground, so I picked it up to try to figure out who it belonged to. Unfortunately it had the lock screen with a passcode so I was not able to reach the contacts or pull up the information for the owner. Luckily I found it in a large residential building that has an office so I was able to return it to the office for them to hold on to until the owner was able to retrieve it.

This got me thinking, it should be easier to find the owner of a lost phone since it is something that is important and can be lost very easily. I wanted to figure out a solution I could use for my phone in case it were to get lost. This way, whoever finds it would be able to contact me or return it quickly.

First I thought of the possibility of just putting the contact information right on the back of the case, for example, typing it up on paper and taping it onto the case. While this would work, it kind of ruins the aesthetics of the phone and I decided I didn't really want the contact information to be out in the open like that all the time.

Using "Find My iPhone"
I started looking for ways to get the contact information on the lock screen of the phone so if someone finds it, they can pull up this information just by pushing the home button. One method I found is by activating the “Find My iPhone” app and putting the phone into Lost Mode. This can be done by logging into iCloud either on a computer or from another iPhone. You will be able to log in using your Apple ID. When putting it into Lost Mode, you will be able to enter text that will display on the lock screen, so you can put your contact information there.

While the above method works well, if your phone is lost and you are out and about, you may not have immediate access to a computer or another phone. Or you might have forgotten your Apple ID or password. In this case, it might be hours before you are able to get home or figure out your login for the app. Because of this, I wanted to figure out a way to get the contact information on the lock screen without having to activate the Find My iPhone app.

Edit the Background Wallpaper
I noticed iPhones have the option to set photos as the background wallpaper. So I figured if I could edit the background wallpaper to include the contact information it would be a good solution. It was a little tricky to set this up and I'm sure there is more than one way to do it, but here is how I did it:

First, I did a search on the computer and found the iPhone wallpaper I wanted to use. (I just used one of the stock images.) Next I downloaded the image and opened it up in a basic image editing program such as Microsoft Paint. From there, I was able to add text and put in my contact information for email and return address. You can put a message such as, “If found, please contact or return to...” Finally save the updated image.

Once the image is saved, you can email it to your phone as an attachment. After the image has been sent, open the email on your phone. It will show the image. If you touch and hold on the image, it will bring up the options. Click “Save Image” and it should save it to your phone in the Photos section.

Next, go to your Photos on the iPhone and click on the image you have just saved. To bring up the options, click the box with the arrow pointing up (located at the bottom left corner). Swipe over a few options and it will it will say “Use as Wallpaper”. Then click Set. It will have the option to set as lock screen, home screen, or both. I set it as lock screen because you don't really need it in the background once your phone is unlocked.

That's it! Your new lock screen background will be in place with the contact information. It sounds like a lot of steps and I'm sure there are other ways to go about it, but it is worth it for peace of mind knowing that if your phone gets lost, it will be much easier for people to get it back to you. Hope this helps!