LockimateGuide ·
iPhone Lock Screen Widgets: How to Add, Move and Remove Them
iPhone lock screen widgets let you display glanceable information — next calendar event, current temperature, ring activity — directly on the lock screen without unlocking. iOS 16 introduced them in September 2022; they appear in 2 zones: 1 slot above the clock and a row of up to 4 below it.
How to Add Lock Screen Widgets
- Long-press the lock screen for 1 second until it zooms out into the wallpaper gallery.
- Tap Customize below your active lock screen.
- Tap Lock Screen (not Home Screen).
- Tap the widget zone you want — the small area above the clock or the bar below it.
- The widget picker slides up. Scroll the app list or use categories at the top.
- Tap a widget to add it. It snaps into the next available slot.
- Tap outside the picker to close it, then tap Done (top right).
Adding a widget takes under 30 seconds once you are in the editor. The widget bar below the clock fills left to right; you cannot manually reorder widgets within the bar — remove them and re-add in the order you want.
Your widgets are set — now make the background worth glancing at too. A Live Photo wallpaper animates behind them on raise-to-wake, and Lockimate creates one from any photo in about 30 seconds.
Add a live backgroundWidget Sizes and Slot Limits
Lock screen widgets have 2 sizes, unlike home screen widgets which have 5+.
| Size | Shape | Slots used | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (circular) | Round | 1 | Temperature, battery %, step count |
| Large (rectangular) | Wide rectangle | 2 | Next calendar event with title, sunrise/sunset times |
The below-clock bar holds a maximum of 4 units. That means you can combine: 4 small widgets, 2 large widgets, or 1 large + 2 small. You cannot exceed 4 units regardless of size mix.
The above-clock slot holds exactly 1 small circular widget — no large widgets fit there.
How to Remove or Replace a Widget
Re-enter the lock screen editor (long-press → Customize → Lock Screen). Tap the widget zone. In the picker, tap the minus (−) badge on any active widget to remove it. To replace a widget with a different one, remove it first then add the replacement — there is no direct swap gesture.
Popular Lock Screen Widgets
More than 50 apps shipped lock screen widget support within 6 months of iOS 16's launch. Below are the most widely used.
| App | Widget | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar (Apple) | Next Event | Title and start time of next calendar event |
| Weather (Apple) | Temperature | Current temperature with condition icon |
| Weather (Apple) | Air Quality | AQI number and category label |
| Fitness (Apple) | Activity Rings | Move, Exercise, Stand rings progress |
| Battery (Apple) | Battery | iPhone battery percentage |
| Clock (Apple) | World Clock | Time in a second city |
| Reminders (Apple) | Due Today | Count of reminders due today |
| Carrot Weather | Temperature | Current temp with customizable unit |
| Fantastical | Next Event | Next event with color coding by calendar |
| Things 3 | Today | Count of tasks due today |
| Streaks | Habit ring | Completion ring for a tracked habit |
| Nike Run Club | Weekly mileage | Distance run this week |
| Waterllama | Hydration | Water intake progress toward daily goal |
| Apollo (Reddit) | Karma | Reddit karma count |
Apple's built-in apps cover the most common use cases. Third-party apps must opt in to WidgetKit's lock screen widget API — not every app that has home screen widgets also has lock screen widgets.
Which Apps Support Lock Screen Widgets
To check if a specific app supports lock screen widgets: enter the widget picker (long-press → Customize → tap widget zone) and scroll the app list. Only apps that have implemented lock screen widgets appear here. Apps that support only home screen widgets are hidden from this picker.
As of iOS 17, approximately 200 apps on the App Store support lock screen widgets. This number grows with each iOS release as developers update their apps.
Lock Screen Widgets vs Home Screen Widgets
| Feature | Lock Screen Widgets | Home Screen Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Visible without unlocking | Yes | No |
| Interactive (tappable) | Tap opens the app | Yes, some are interactive in iOS 17+ |
| Available sizes | Small, Large (2 sizes) | Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large (5 sizes) |
| Maximum per screen | 4 units + 1 above clock | Unlimited |
| Supports Live Activities | No | Yes |
| Color display | Yes (iOS 16+) | Yes |
iOS 26 Widget Changes
iOS 26 does not increase the widget count limit — the 4-unit maximum remains. The visual style of widgets adapts to the new Liquid Glass aesthetic introduced in iOS 26: widget backgrounds become more translucent, inheriting color from the wallpaper behind them. Functionally, the same apps and the same WidgetKit API continue to work.
One new addition in iOS 26: the Lock Screen editor shows a preview of how widgets look against your specific wallpaper before you commit, reducing trial-and-error when picking a clock color that contrasts with dark widget backgrounds. For the full rundown of what changed, see the iOS 26 lock screen guide.
How Widgets and Live Wallpapers Coexist
Live Photo wallpapers and lock screen widgets work together without any conflict. The wallpaper animates underneath the widgets, which remain static. Widget text remains legible because iOS renders a subtle blur or darkening behind widget text — this background is drawn automatically and cannot be disabled.
If your Live Photo is very bright, widgets with light-colored text can lose contrast. The fix: in the clock editor, switch the clock and widget color to a dark shade using the eyedropper on a dark area of your wallpaper. For step-by-step help setting one up, see how to set a Live Photo as your lock screen.
Lockimate's Cinematic vibe often works best with widgets because the animation stays in the background (slow zoom or pan) without the rapid motion of Playful or Lively vibes drawing attention away from the data in your widgets. The first wallpaper from Lockimate is free; Pro unlocks all 4 animation vibes and 4 art styles.
For more on setting up the wallpaper itself, see the iPhone lock screen guide and iOS 26 wallpaper guide.
FAQ
Why are some apps missing from the lock screen widget picker?
Apps only appear if the developer has implemented lock screen widgets using Apple's WidgetKit API. Many apps that have home screen widgets have not yet added lock screen variants — especially older or less frequently updated apps. Check the App Store for an update to the specific app, or contact the developer to request lock screen widget support.
Can I put a lock screen widget above the clock?
Yes. The slot above the clock accepts 1 small (circular) widget. It is easy to miss in the editor — tap the area between the date line and the top of the clock numbers. Common choices for the above-clock slot are a second time zone, current temperature, or the next calendar event count (1 number fits well in that compact space).
Do lock screen widgets update in real time?
Widget refresh frequency is controlled by each app's WidgetKit timeline. Apple's Weather widget updates approximately every 15 minutes. Apple's Calendar widget updates immediately when a new event is added. Third-party apps are subject to system-managed background refresh budgets, which iOS 16 increased compared to iOS 15 to accommodate lock screen widget use cases. Battery and Clock widgets update once per minute.
Why did my lock screen widgets disappear after updating iOS?
Widget data occasionally needs to reload after a major iOS update. Wait 2–3 minutes after the first unlock for widgets to repopulate. If they remain blank after 5 minutes: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Home Screen Layout does not affect lock screen widgets — instead, re-enter the lock screen editor and re-add any missing widgets. This is rare and typically only happens on major version upgrades (e.g., iOS 17 → iOS 18).
For help setting up your full lock screen, see how to customize your lock screen and the main iPhone lock screen page.
Widgets sit on top — the wallpaper underneath is what gives them life. Lockimate's Cinematic vibe animates your photo with slow motion that keeps widget text readable. First wallpaper free.
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