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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Lock screen widgets are returning to Android
- The feature is available now in beta for Pixel owners
- A public rollout is expected in December
The latest Android beta is here, and it quietly dropped a pretty big surprise for Pixel owners.
I’ve known for a while that widgets are returning to the Android lock screen, but they’re officially back with Android 16 QPR2.
Widgets are a staple of customization on Android phones (here’s a look at our 7 favorites). Tablets have them, but they’ve been gone from phones for more than a decade.
Also: How to clear your Android phone cache (and greatly improve its performance)
Lock screen widgets are designed to let you handle quick tasks and give you glanceable info like smart home device controls, start timers, calendar, weather, financial info like stocks, and more — all without unlocking your device.
Not all Android users can try out the widgets just yet, though. 16 QPR2 is available for any Pixel device from the Pixel 6 onward.
How to add lock screen widgets to Android
Google warns that anyone can see widgets on your phone, even while locked.
You will need to unlock your device to interact with any widgets, though. As such, widgets are not turned on by default. You can access them through the settings menu (by going to Display & touch > Lock screen > Widgets on lock screen) or through “hub mode,” which lets you choose what to show while your device is charging.
Also: Android’s latest update can force apps into dark mode – how to see it now
For now, you can only access widgets while your phone is charging or docked. Every lock screen page holds up to three widgets, and you can easily swipe between pages. If you tap and hold the widget screen, you can customize the layout.
If you don’t have the latest Android beta but want to test out widgets, you can head here to enroll your device. If you don’t want to bother with the beta, a public release should be available sometime in December of this year.