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People Divulge The Story Behind Their Cellphone's Wallpaper

black iphone 5 on red table
Photo by Shiwa ID on Unsplash

CW: Suicide.

When it comes to cell phone wallpaper, it can be a very personal choice.

Sometimes, your wallpaper is silly, like a funny picture of your and your friends. Other times, it's simple, like a monochromatic background.

Sometimes, it's the way you show your love for a particular fandom. As a huge Potterhead, it's no surprise that my wallpaper is a still image of the floating candles in the Great Hall from the first Harry Potter movie.

Sometimes, your phone's wallpaper is unique, and there's a story behind it. Those stories are what Redditors shared.


It all started when Redditor SPriGJade asked:

"What's the story behind your phone's wallpaper?"

The Name’s Logan

"Wolverine. Otherwise, a topless man as wallpaper is trashy."

– Deleted User

It Was Like That When I Got It

"They made the phone with a wallpaper. I bought the phone with a wallpaper. End of story."

"My phone is not personalized at all. Aside from 2 or 3 apps this thing is stock. No music, no ring tones, no wall paper etc."

– pay-this-fool

"You’re a NPC aren’t you?"

– Milfshake23

"Hello, Mr. Thompson"

"It’s the scene where Homer becomes Mr. Thompson. The moment where he says “I think he’s talking to you”"

– downwitbrown

The Same Name

"Mine was a fan art I saw on Instagram of Blossom and Brik. I happened to have a crush on someone who has the same name as him so I put it as my wallpaper. I cannot put his actual pic there cause I have nosey friends who will dice me if they knew."

– SPriGJade

Camp Wheezeaway

"It's a picture I took at sunset at asthma camp while I was in respiratory school. We hiked out to a dam to watch the sun set and everyone was silhouettes. I think it's beautiful."

– Faye_dunwoody

"Camp counselor: “Cmon little Timmy you gotta finish the mile run in order to pass!”"

"Little Timmy:W H E E Z E”"

– Siriuswot111

Exposure Therapy

"Either I just wanted to get over my arachnophobia or just to discourage myself from looking at my screen too much. I don't remember lol."

– WingieWingies

Real Wallpaper

"I was renovating my home and i really liked the wall paper id bought and i still had some paste left over... Its a bit of a job to see my screen though /s"

– arianleellewellyn

If Found, Please Return To...

"it is black with green text with my contact info in case my phone gets lost... simple and practical"

– 1101base2

"I hope you made sure to put your phone number on that contact info so they can call you if you lose it..."

– johnnyboy10010

Nerd Culture

"I just like Pokémon"

– yuri_nomoru122

"I just like Star Wars

– Thrashed0066

And We Fell In Love

"Me & my wife's wallpaper (for the last 5 years) is an illustration I altered of two otters holding hands, but made to look very devil-like, with horns, pointed tails, and colored red. The story is, when my wife and I were dating early on, we liked that otters hold hands when they sleep, and we would joke, saying "Thank you Satan" for being responsible for our meeting on a dating app. So... it was a combo of both of those things."

– 1313trouble

Skin And...Oh, Wait, Just Bones

"My little girl had to get an X-ray of her hand/wrist… apparently you can tell if kids are aging/growing right by their wrist??? I took a pic of her skeleton hand… haven’t changed it since!"

– mic1383

Bird's Eye View

"NASA spent $250 million so I could have a tiny blue dot as my wallpaper."

– JustDunIt42

Finish The Task

"I was trying to find a new wallpaper, said screw it, and took a picture of the table."

– juse73x

Embodiment Of My Mood

"Played a game where the character is plagued by the embodiment of death during their quest, and as they finally finish their quest the Death catches them."

"My background is the main character facing the embodiment of death, still fighting. I put it up years ago when I first started feeling suicidal. I knew that it might kill me in the end, but I wanted to fight it as long as I could. I've been having a good couple of years lately, and I feel that I have won. But I still have it as my background."

– OkBottle8719

Crazy Idea

"My wallpaper is Eminem’s a**. i don’t know how to explain that. I just thought it would be silly."

– lethalload

Interesting...

"I asked an AI to show me the end of the world by the sea and it created this terrifyingly beautiful picture ."

– LovelyBones17

I might have to try something similar next time I want to change my wallpaper!

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/