If unlocking your phone often leads to distractions and sidetracks you from your goals, lock screen widgets offer a way to stay focused. In this post, I’ll explore what lock screen widgets are and why they can transform the way you use your phone.
Good to know: learn all about the best iPhone widgets everyone should utilize.
Content
- What Are Lock Screen Widgets
- How to Put a Widget on Your Lock Screen
- What Types of Widgets Make Sense For Your Lock Screen?
What Are Lock Screen Widgets
Unlike standard widgets, lock screen widgets are specifically designed to be placed on your iPhone’s lock screen. They allow you to access key information at a glance, helping you stay productive while minimizing additional interactions with your mobile device.
Due to the limited space available on the lock screen, lock screen widgets are smaller and simpler than regular widgets. Even so, they are just as effective in serving their purpose.
How to Put a Widget on Your Lock Screen
You’ll need to have an iPhone running iOS 16 or above to add a widget on your lock screen. With the advent of iOS 17, lock screen widgets got even better and now even allow you to perform simple actions without launching the full app. For those with older iPhones, home screen widgets are available for you to use.
If lock screen widgets have you intrigued, here’s how you add your first one on your iPhone.
Touch and hold the lock screen on your device until the Customize button shows up at the bottom. Tap it.
Select the Lock Screen option.
On the next screen, select the Add Widgets option right underneath the clock.
A list of widgets available for your device will appear. Scroll through it and tap or drag the widget that want to add to the lock screen.
Finally, tap the close button, and then tap Done to complete the process. To edit a widget, tap on it in Customize mode.
To remove widgets from the lock screen, press the – button on each widget.
Tip: learn how to hide or lock apps on your iPhone.
What Types of Widgets Make Sense For Your Lock Screen?
Lock screen widgets differ from home screen widgets primarily in their scope and design. While home screen widgets are larger and offer more interactive features, such as scrolling through content or performing multiple actions, lock screen widgets are smaller and facilitate limited interactions, often restricted to basic actions.
Lock screen widgets are ideal for displaying time-sensitive information like upcoming events or tasks, weather updates, battery info, etc. Most appear as smaller circles, and you can fit up to four on a single lock screen. Others can take the form of rectangles and include a bit more information, but also take up a bit more space. You can place two such widgets side-by-side.
When selecting lock screen widgets for your iPhone, consider what critical information you want quick access to. While individual needs and priorities may vary, some widgets can be useful for almost anyone. I’ll share with you the widgets that have made it to my lock screen, because they have the additional information that I can’t do without.
1. Weather data
Checking the weather is an activity we all engage in almost daily. Having a lock screen weather widget will enable you to check weather updates just by glancing at your iPhone.
Apple’s native Weather app features a series of varied lock screen widgets that can show minimum/maximum temperatures, expected precipitation, UV index, moon phases, sunrise/sunset, wind, air quality, and more. Because I live in a region where wind conditions can impact outdoor plans, I rely on the wing widget during the summer. It helps me decide if the weather is favorable for a beach day or water sports.
If you rely on another weather app such as AccuWeather or the popular Carrot Weather, make sure to explore their lock screen widgets options. The only caveat is that they require a premium subscription to use.
2. Tasks/notes
Thanks to lock screen widgets, I can quickly check my upcoming tasks and stay organized throughout the day. I recently discovered the Structured app – an intuitive day planner app that also comes with a couple of lock screen widgets. You can choose between a circular one that shows the category of your upcoming task and a rectangular one that also shows the task’s title and scheduled hour. I find the latter to be very useful for my purposes.
If you don’t feel like installing an extra app just to keep track of your tasks, you can use the built-in lock screen widgets available for the Reminders app. Create your tasks in the app and then you’ll be able to see two at a time on your lock screen. Even better, you can interact with the widget and mark completed tasks directly from the lock screen.
Tip: want to gift a loved one a fitness band? Check our buying guide for suggestions.
3. Fitness data
Like many of us who spend most of our days seated at our desks, I’m trying to include more physical activity into my daily schedule. To keep me motivated towards reaching my goals, I keep an activity ring from the built-in Fitness app on my lock screen. I prefer the circular ring option as it takes up less space and displays the info I need in a way I can easily read. If you need to view numbers, there’s a widget option for that as well.
In case you’re using a different fitness/wellness app, make sure to check if they offer any lock screen widget options. For instance, Gentler Streak, an app I’ve tried for a while and which won me over thanks to its attractive interface offers a couple of nice lock screen widgets. Unfortunately, you’ll need a paid subscription to be able to use them.
4. Medication & water
As a result of previous medical concerns, I have to take daily medication for the foreseeable future. To make sure I never forget to take my pill, I rely on the medication lock screen widget that’s available from the built-in Health app. Additional widgets for State of Mind or Weekly Vitals are also available.
Other popular medication apps such as Medisafe also offer lock screen widget options that are free to use. Two options are offered – a circular one featuring a pill-shaped symbol and a rectangular one that also includes a bit of information about which medication you need to take next.
In addition, I have days when I make it a point to drink lots of water. So I use the lock screen widget from Water Tracker to quickly view my current water intake. This helps me know if am getting closer to my goal and if not, whether I should take action.
FYI: learn how to prolongue your iPhone’s battery life with these tips.
5. Battery
You can easily view your phone’s battery levels from the lock screen. But if you have a Bluetooth accessories such as smartwatch or headphones, you can also view their battery status by using the built-in Batteries lock screen widgets.
I, for instance, rely on my wireless headphones all-day everyday, although they are from a non-Apple brand. In my case, the Batteries lock screen widgets show the iPhone’s battery levels by default. To change the device, I had to edit the lock screen widget (by tapping on it in Customize mode), turn the Automatic switch off and then choose my Bluetooth device. This allows me to quickly check my headphone battery level, ensuring they’re always charged and ready to use.
6. Parcel info
I’m always shopping online, so I frequently have to be on the lookout for packages. Apps like Parcel let you view the latest information regarding your package from the lockscreen, which I find extremely useful. This way, you’re sure not to miss any updates. All you have to do is input your package number and the app will pull up the latest updates for you.
Now that you know how to add widgets to your iPhone lock screen, you might want to continue customizing your lock screen, so check out these tips we’ve laid out for you. Also take a look at these great websites that will help you find the perfect iPhone or iPad wallpapers.
All images & screenshots by Alexandra Arici
Alexandra Arici –
Staff Writer
Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.
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