Google has officially released the latest version of its flagship mobile operating system -- Android 16 Quarterly Platform Release 2 (QPR2) -- onto compatible Pixel handsets, while also submitting its source code to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). When compared to Android's last major software update, which introduced a Material 3 Expressive design language overhaul, QPR2 is comparatively less flashy, though it's still filled with a smattering of smaller software tweaks and platform enhancements.
If that final new feature sounds strangely familiar, that's because it is: lock screen widgets on Android have a storied history, and, while new in one sense of the word, they're also equally an already-established part of the Android ecosystem at large, and one that Google itself is certainly no stranger to.
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean lives on in the modern era
Google has done a 360 on the lock screen widget concept
While 'stock' builds of contemporary Android are comparatively late to the party when it comes to supporting lock screen widgets at the system level, the irony is that Google was previously at the forefront of the lock screen applet scene an entire decade ago.
Google first developed and released lock screen widgets as part of its Android 4.2 Jelly Bean release in 2012. The feature, when enabled, allowed you to place a selection of standard home screen widgets directly onto your lock screen, accessible via a paginated swiping gesture.
For one reason or another, Google then ripped away lock screen widget support in 2014's Android 5.0 Lollipop release, perhaps to give way to the then-novel Material Design visual refresh of the operating system. The feature then returned in a first-party capacity in a bespoke update to the Pixel Tablet, which has now been followed by a reboot of the feature on phones as of this latest Android 16 QPR2 release.
Lock screen widgets are fashionable again
Google's implementation isn't perfect, however
Google's rebuilding of a native lock screen widget system follows the feature's introduction across various third-party Android skins like One UI and Nothing OS in recent years. Interest in lock screen widgets has been spurred on by Apple's 2022-era incorporation of the feature into iOS and iPadOS for the iPhone and the iPad, respectively.
Even on the PC side of the equation, Microsoft is in the process of rolling out a user-customizable lock screen widget system of its own for Windows 11, proving the feature has legs at a conceptual level.
While Google's implementation is perfectly serviceable, it's not without its problems.
With Android 16 QPR2, Google has opted to bring lock screen widgets back in a similar manner to how they first appeared in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Widgets that are normally designed for home screen use can be pinned to swipeable pages located directly to the right of the main lock screen interface, with a dedicated UI for adding, removing, and rearranging widgets.
While Google's implementation is perfectly serviceable, it's not without its problems. For example, grid size compatibility is limited, which means smaller widgets end up looking clunky when placed side-by-side with their wider counterparts. I'd also argue that other Android skins provide superior lock screen widget experiences on the whole, with Nothing OS allowing widgets to appear directly on the main lock screen page, and One UI offering Apple-like miniature widgets that look and feel purpose-built for the lock screen environment.
How to enable Android lock screen widgets
The feature can be toggled on from within Settings
Once you've received the latest over-the-air (OTA) software on your compatible Android phone, setting up lock screen widgets is a fairly simple process. The feature is disabled by default, meaning that it's an opt-in experience. Additionally, there's a tag that denotes the feature as being in beta for the time being, and so the experience itself may change or evolve over time.
Note that the following steps are specific to Google Pixel phones, as well as to other Android handsets that adopt the Android Open Source Project in an unaltered fashion. In the case of Samsung Galaxy's One UI, OnePlus' OxygenOS, Nothing's Nothing OS, and other third-party skins, lock screen widget implementations and their corresponding setup flows vary quite considerably.
To get started with lock screen widgets on Android, follow these steps:
- Ensure that you're running Android 16 QPR2 or newer.
- Launch the Settings application.
- Navigate to Display & touch > Lock display > Lock screen > Widgets on lock screen.
- From here, flip the Widgets on lock screen toggle to its on position.
An on-screen prompt will notify you of the potential risk involved in using lock screen widgets, but it bears repeating: widget contents are visible while your device is locked, and so it's best to avoid pinning widgets that contain potentially sensitive data. Of course, you'll still have to verify your identity via a PIN, pattern, or password in order to launch apps using their widgets, as well as to add, remove, and reorder existing lock screen widgets.
Once you've gone ahead and toggled on the Widgets on lock screen option, the feature immediately becomes accessible by swiping to the left from your main lock screen. Simply hold down anywhere on the screen, and then authenticate, in order to customize your layout, add pages, adjust on-screen widgets, and more.