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Title: How to turn your old iPad into a digital picture frame

Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:00:17 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/how-t...

If you have an old iPad and youΓÇÖre interested in externalizing some of the
thousands of photos in your iCloud account, this guideΓÇÖs for you. Instead
of buying a new digital picture frame, you can turn your retired iPad into a
dedicated photo display without much effort. YouΓÇÖll need to change a few
settings, download a photo frame app and decide how you want to prop up your
new display ΓÇö which can be as simple as using a stand or as complicated as
getting out the drill and modding an analog frame. HereΓÇÖs how (and why) to
upcycle your old iPad into a digital picture frame.

Upcycled iPad versus a digital picture frame

An actual digital picture frame has a few obvious advantages: the necessary
software is already there, itΓÇÖs display-ready, complete with a frame and
matted display, and, as a unitasker, it wonΓÇÖt display Gmail notifications
over your photos. But the resolution for most smart frames tops out at 1,280
by 800 pixels. Even the standard iPad (9th gen) from 2021 has a resolution of
2,160 by 1,620. Plus, your old iPad is already yours. A decent digital frame
will cost you around $100. And, since your iPad is certainly not a single-
purpose device ΓÇö it can take a FaceTime call or play an episode of Poker
Face if the need arises.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget How to turn your old iPad into a digital picture
frame

I figured IΓÇÖd be able to use AppleΓÇÖs built-in software to do something as
simple as creating a looping slideshow of images, but the experience wasn't
quite what I was looking for. Playing a slideshow within the Photos app does
so as a Memory, complete with music, and thereΓÇÖs no way to turn that music
off (though you can mute it). You can loop a Memory, but you can't randomize
the images and the interval between images is far too short (anything less
than ten minutes feels like yet another screen blinking at you). So, to turn
an iPad into a randomized, always-on and silent digital picture frame with a
decent display length, you'll have better luck with a third-party app.

I tried a few and my favorite is Synched Photo Frame by Re-frame ($10,
lifetime access). It doesnΓÇÖt pack a ton of features ΓÇö no transitions, no
image effects, no time and date overlay options and itΓÇÖll only access
images from your Photos app ΓÇö but it does the best job of making photos
look good on an iPad.

It lets you set the viewing interval from 10 seconds to 24 hours and
thereΓÇÖs a programmable sleep function so it doesnΓÇÖt beam smiling pictures
into the 3AM void of your living room. If your iPad is oriented differently
than a photo, it shows two side-by-side images (i.e., two portrait images
next to each other if your iPad is in landscape or two stacked horizontal
pics if your tablet is vertical). A clean white border surrounds each split
image; full-screen images go edge to edge. Images are cropped slightly to
fit, which means they may lose a few details around the borders, but I think
the effect is more attractive than blurred extended edges or black bars. The
two-up solution is how our top pick for a digital photo frame, the Aura
Carver, handles images with different aspect ratios ΓÇö but you canΓÇÖt set
that device in portrait mode.

LiveFrame is another option and itΓÇÖs actually cheaper at $5 for lifetime
access. It has more features like transitions and image filters, but
thereΓÇÖs no option for having two images up at the same time like in Re-
Frame. Instead it can blur the edges, add bars or (hideously) stretch the
image. I also experienced a number of glitches with the app and found the
navigation a little tougher than it should be. I also tried Digital Photo
Frame Slideshow but, at $30 annually, itΓÇÖs too expensive for my taste and
it doesnΓÇÖt have a sleep function.

How to prepare your iPad for photo frame mode Step one: Create an album

Most photo display apps will pull from albums you select in Photos. You
probably already know how to make a new album, but there are a couple of
elements to consider as you create one for a digital photo frame app on an
iPad. All instructions are for iPadOS 18. If youΓÇÖre working with an older
version, the steps may be slightly different.

Select the Aspect Ratio Grid in the View Options menu of the Photos app so
you can see which images are horizontal and which are vertical to more easily
create your album. Amy Skorheim for Engadget

Open Photos and tap the side bar icon in the upper left corner.

Under Albums, tap + New Album at the bottom of that list.

Name the album something memorable, as youΓÇÖll likely have to search for it
within the photo frame app. Tap Create Album, then the blue plus sign.

If you want to only (or mostly) add a specific orientation (landscape or
portrait), tap the up/down arrow icon at the bottom left of the pop up menu.

Tap View Options, then Aspect Ratio Grid. This will show the shape of each
image so you can more easily select only the ones with the orientation you
want. You can also use the View Options menu to zoom in on the thumbnails to
get a better view of each picture.

Select the images you want and tap Add in the upper right.

Step two: Adjust your iPad settings

Adjusting a couple of settings will ensure your iPad keeps playing all day,
interruption-free. Simply having the digital photo frame app playing should
be enough to prevent your iPad from going dark, but your iPad may auto-lock
when the appΓÇÖs sleep mode kicks in, requiring you to unlock it in the
morning to start the app back up. YouΓÇÖll also want to make sure your
slideshow isnΓÇÖt interrupted with notifications from other apps.

Turn off Auto-Lock: Open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, tap Auto-Lock,
select Never. You may get a warning that this setting will impact battery
life, but since your iPad will stay plugged in, it wonΓÇÖt be an issue.

Turn off all Notifications: YouΓÇÖll need to turn off notifications for every
app on your iPad. Go to Settings> Notifications > Notification style, toggle
off Allow Notifications for every app. Note: Using the Do Not Disturb Focus
will enable DND on all your connected Apple devices, unless you toggle off
Share Across Devices in Settings > Focus. But turning off notifications is
still the better option.

Step three: DonΓÇÖt let randos get at your stuff

Since youΓÇÖll probably want to display your new picture frame somewhere that
people can see, thereΓÇÖs a risk of someone attempting to use your iPad. To
prevent this, you can use an Accessibility feature called Guided Access.
Apple designed it so parents could hand an iPad to their child without also
giving them access to additional apps. WeΓÇÖre repurposing it for photo frame
security to prevent anyone from navigating to your home screen or anywhere
else. People can still tap on the screen to use the photo frame appΓÇÖs
controls or you can disable touch altogether.

Turn on Guided Access in the Accessibility section of the Settings app to
prevent other people from accessing your iPadAmy Skorheim for Engadget

Enable Guided Access: Open Settings, tap Accessibility then Guided Access.
Set an unlock code, then set Display Auto-Lock to Never.

Turn on Guided Access: While the picture frame app is playing your slideshow,
triple click the side button. A grey circle will appear, tap X to close it.

Enable or disable touch: If you still want to allow others to use functions
within the photo frame app, toggle the Touch option on. If you want no
response when the screen is touched, toggle it off. To access the Options
menu, triple click the side button and enter your passcode. Tap Options in
the lower left corner.

Note: Guided Access is turned on and off via the side button, so this option
might not be feasible if you decide to put your iPad in a frame. One rather
extreme workaround is to reset your iPad and set it up with a brand new Apple
ID connected to family sharing that allows access to a shared Photos Library.

With your photo frame app open, triple click the iPad's top button to enable
Guided Access.Amy Skorheim for Engadget Put your new digital photo frame on
display

This can be as simple as finding a stand you like and calling it a day. An
Etsy seller called Event Frame makes custom frames for iPads. They arenΓÇÖt
cheap, going for around $100 each, but itΓÇÖs one of the only companies
IΓÇÖve found that actually offers model- and generation-specific sizing. I
also considered the Snap Float Folio from Moft, as IΓÇÖve been impressed with
some of the brandΓÇÖs other origami-inspired accessories. If youΓÇÖre crafty,
you can take inspiration from this personΓÇÖs Instructables and make your own
frame from a physical media picture frame. Personally, I just got a right-
angled USB-C cable and stuck my iPad in a collapsible stand I already had.
The pictures are pretty enough.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/how-t...
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