How to Add Widgets to Your iPhone Lock Screen

The estimated reading time for this post is 3 minutes

If you have an iPhone and you’ve updated it to iOS 16, you have a new tool available: Lock Screen Widgets. These handy widgets can deliver information without you even having to unlock your phone.

About iPhone Lock Screen Widgets

iPhone Lock Screen Widgets are similar to widgets you can add to your home screen, beginning with iOS 14 in 2020. As with home screen widgets, iPhone Lock Screen widgets are free to add to your phone. If you’re familiar with using home screen widgets, you’ll enjoy using widgets on your iPhone lock screen.

Learn more about iPhone home screen widgets at => 2 Great Reasons to Add Widgets to Your iPhone Home Screen Now

Your lock screen appears when you tap your iPhone screen or the power button. Lock Screen Widgets appear below the time displayed on your lock screen.

With widgets, you can get information with a simple tap of your screen without even needing to unlock your iPhone.

And if you have an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, you have an Always On screen that can display these Lock Screen Widgets constantly.

These widgets can display helpful information, such as the current weather, temperature, news updates, stock prices, and more. You can see your Activity rings from your Apple Watch, your next Calendar appointment, your next airline flight time, and the battery level of your Apple devices.

Widgets can also be handy shortcuts to your favorite apps. Tap a shortcut Lock Screen Widget to open your favorite app instantly.

Google Maps has a handy Frequent Trips widget that shows you the estimated time of arrival at a favorite destination.

As with home screen widgets, Lock Screen Widgets will increase in variety over time. If your favorite app doesn’t have a Lock Screen Widget yet, check back later to see whether it has been added as an option.

How to Add Lock Screen Widgets to Your iPhone

Adding widgets to your iPhone lock screen is quick and easy. In a few minutes, you can make your iPhone even more useful to you.

Tap your screen to turn on the lock screen for your iPhone. Then, press and hold the screen until you see a Customize button appear at the bottom.

Tap Customize. You may be asked to add new wallpaper to your lock screen. Wallpaper can be photos, emojis, weather, astronomy, or a color.

Tip => While you’re customizing your lock screen, you can tap the time to customize its font.

Tap + ADD WIDGETS to see the widgets you can add to your lock screen.

You’ll see layouts of suggested widgets. Then, scroll down to see which of your apps offer Lock Screen Widgets.

You can add two, three, or four Lock Screen Widgets to your iPhone, depending on the size of the widget. Some widgets are small circles, while others are longer rectangles. Some widgets offer a choice of a small circle or a larger rectangle with more information.

After you’ve finished selecting your Lock Screen Widgets, tap Add in the upper right corner of your screen. The next time you tap on your iPhone screen, you should be greeted with your Lock Screen Widgets.

Experiment with these widgets to see which are the most useful to you. You may want to see whether one rectangle widget is worth the space of two small circle widgets on your Lock Screen.

iPhones can have multiple lock screens with different widget configurations. You may want to use one lock screen for when you’re traveling, one when your day is filled with appointments, and another when you want to keep up with the weather.

If You Can’t Add Widgets to Your Lock Screen

If you follow the steps above and don’t see the option to add widgets to your Lock Screen, then your iPhone has not been updated to iOS 16 yet. To check which version of iOS your iPhone is using, go to Settings => General => About => iOS Version.

If your iPhone’s iOS version number is lower than 16, you won’t be able to add Lock Screen Widgets to your iPhone.

Update your iPhone to iOS 16, then follow the steps above to add Lock Screen Widgets to your iPhone.

Your Thoughts

Have you tried Lock Screen Widgets on your iPhone? Which widgets have you tried on your lock screen? Which apps do you wish would offer Lock Screen Widgets?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!