Google announced that lock screen widgets are coming to Android 16 phones later this year. These widgets have been available on the Pixel Tablet since last year. Now the company is extending the feature to more devices, including phones and tablets.
All lock screen widgets will support the lock screen by default. App developers will have the option to disable this support if they prefer. Certain widget actions will still require authentication through fingerprint, PIN, or face unlock.
This new feature will be added to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) in the first quarterly update following the release of Android 16. Android 16 is expected in late summer. While the lock screen widgets for phones aren’t yet enabled in the latest Android 16 beta, Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman managed to activate the functionality early.
lock screen customization enhances Android experience
He discovered that while Pixel Tablet users can access lock screen widgets by swiping right from the home screen, the current implementation for phones is only available through Android’s screensaver mode. This requires the phone to be charging or docked.
In a blog post, Google noted that the mechanism to trigger the widget interface is customizable by hardware manufacturers. This means different approaches may be implemented once the update arrives. The major difference from the Pixel Tablet’s implementation is the screen size.
For phones, instead of a two-row grid of widgets, the implementation shows widgets stacked vertically. There is only enough space for a couple on the screen at once. Users will need to swipe through screens to access them all.
This update indicates Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance the user experience on Android devices by expanding the functionality of lock screen widgets.
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