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Polycom Change Background Wallpaper

Scope​

Intended Audience: All Users

Wallpaper is the image that fills the background of the phone idle screen. Some users choose one of the default backgrounds provided by the IP phone system. But some users prefer to make customized wallpaper from personal pictures. For using customized wallpaper, you need to upload the customized wallpaper and override the configuration of your phone in the PBX.

Requirements​

  • Office Manager access to the Manager Portal

Before You Begin

Identify Your Phone Model​

The instructions and overrides depend on the exact phone model.

Common supported models include:

  • VVX 300 / 310 / 311
  • VVX 400 / 410 / 411
  • VVX 500 / 501
  • VVX 600 / 601
  • SoundPoint IP 450 / 550 / 650 / 670

How to Find Your Model​

You can usually find the model:

  • printed on the front bezel
  • on the label underneath the phone
  • under Settings > Status > Platform

Using the wrong model override is one of the most common causes of wallpaper issues.

Host Your Image​

For custom wallpapers, the image must be hosted on a publicly accessible web server.

This Means:

  • The phone must be able to reach the image URL directly
  • The URL must not require login
  • Dropbox and Google Drive links usually do not work reliably
  • Direct HTTPS image URLs are strongly recommended

Example: https://yourdomain.com/images/company-wallpaper.png

Do not use:

  • Password-protected URLs
  • Temporary sharing links
  • Local file paths
  • Images uploaded only inside the PBX
  • If the image does not open directly in a browser, the phone usually cannot use it.

Background Sizes

Using the correct image size and file format is important. The images should match the screen resolution of the device to prevent stretching, cropping, and provisioning issues. Large images may fail to load or may display incorrectly.

ModelRecommended ResolutionRecommended Format
VVX 300 / 310 / 311208 x 104 pxPNG
VVX 400 / 410 / 411320 x 160 pxPNG
VVX 500 / 501480 x 272 pxPNG
VVX 600 / 601640 x 480 pxPNG
SoundPoint IP 450320 x 160 pxBMP (4BPP)
SoundPoint IP 550 / 650320 x 160 pxBMP (4BPP)
SoundPoint IP 670320 x 160 pxBMP (4BPP)

VVX Phones​

Recommended:

  • PNG (preferred)
  • JPG may work depending on model and firmware

Best Practice:

  • Use exact screen dimensions
  • Keep file sizes small
  • Avoid oversized images

SoundPoint Phones​

Required:

  • BMP only
  • 4BPP (16-color bitmap)

If the BMP is not created correctly, the phone will ignore it. This is the most common cause of wallpaper failures on SoundPoint phones.

VVX Background Wallpaper Overrides

  • Open the Manager Portal and navigate to Device > Edit > Overrides
  • Add the override values for your specific phone model.

VVX 300 / 310 / 311​

bg.color.VVX300.selection="2,2"

bg.color.bm.2.name="https://yourdomain.com/vvx300-background.png"

VVX 400 / 410 / 411​

bg.color.VVX400.selection="2,2"

bg.color.bm.2.name="https://yourdomain.com/vvx400-background.png"

VVX 500 / 501​

bg.color.VVX500.selection="2,2"

bg.color.bm.2.name="https://yourdomain.com/vvx500-background.png"

VVX 600 / 601​

bg.color.VVX600.selection="2,2"

bg.color.bm.2.name="https://yourdomain.com/vvx600-background.png"

SoundPoint Background Wallpaper Overrides

SoundPoint IP Phones​

bg.hiRes.2.name="https://yourdomain.com/soundpoint-background.bmp"

bg.hiRes.selection="2"

For SoundPoint phones, ensure the file is a valid 4BPP BMP.

Built-In Background Selection

Some Polycom phones include built-in wallpapers that can be selected directly from the handset.

  • Navigate to Settings > Basic > Preferences > Background > Select Background
  • Choose one of the available wallpapers and save.
  • If your phone does not show this option, use the custom hosted wallpaper override method above.

Important

  • You must replace https://yourdomain.com/…with your actual image URL.
  • Do not copy the example URL exactly, this is one of the most common setup mistakes.

After saving overrides:

  • reboot the phone
  • or reprovision the device from the portal

The wallpaper usually does not change until the phone reprovisions.

Troubleshooting

Wallpaper Does Not Change​

Check:

  • Correct phone model override was used
  • Image URL is public and opens in a browser
  • Phone has been rebooted
  • Overrides were saved to the correct device
  • Supported file format is being used

Image Works in Browser but Not on Phone​

Usually caused by:

  • Redirects
  • Unsupported image type
  • Unsupported image size
  • SSL or certificate issues
  • Google Drive or Dropbox links

Use a direct image file URL instead.

Image Is Stretched or Cropped​

Resize the image to match the phone’s native display resolution before uploading.

Avoid relying on automatic scaling.

Phone Returns to Default Background​

This usually means:

  • Provisioning overwrote the setting
  • The override was entered incorrectly
  • The hosted image became unavailable

Verify the override and confirm the image URL still works.

SoundPoint Wallpaper Still Fails​

Most often caused by incorrect BMP formatting.

Confirm:

  • BMP format
  • 4BPP
  • 16-color image

If these are incorrect, the phone will ignore the wallpaper.

Need Help

If you need assistance configuring background wallpapers on your Polycom phones, our support team is available to help. Please contact our support team for assistance with setup, troubleshooting, or verifying the correct configuration for your specific device model. Providing your phone model and a brief description of the issue will help us resolve your request more quickly.