With iOS 16 available to anyone with an iPhone 8 or iPhone SE 2 and newer, alongside 16.1 available in public beta, its revamped lock screen feature is already making an impression.
You can place multiple widgets on the screen that will launch the app in question, presenting information relevant to that app.
However, with many developers releasing updates that include them, you can be overwhelmed with so many widgets already appearing.
With that in mind, we’ve picked out six apps that show how these new widgets can be used on your iPhone.
Dark 3
A simple widget from the Obscura 3 camera app (opens in a new tab) here, available for $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$5.99, but it solves two problems at once. For years, your iOS lock screen had two constant widgets – a flashlight and a camera icon, with no way to change them, even in iOS 16.
However, Obscura lets you place a widget on the lock screen to launch the app immediately. Granted, Apple’s two widgets are still there, but that should still cut down on the steps to launching a great third-party app.
Weather CARROT
While Apple’s fantastic free weather app is available on iOS, and coming soon to anyone using macOS Ventura and iPadOS 16.1, Carrot (opens in a new tab) is available on iOS (opens in a new tab) and Android (opens in a new tab) with several subscriptions to buy.
The weather app with sass has had a major update arrive alongside iOS 16, bringing a bunch of lock screen widgets, from an hourly forecast to the likelihood of rainfall.
There are over fifteen different widgets that you can choose from in the three sizes that you would normally choose for the lock screen, such as some that can replace the date at the top, as well as smaller widgets to give you quick information about the risk of rain. , or the current temperature.
Snapchat
Social media platforms are already taking advantage of these new lock screen widget features, such as Facebook and more recently Snapchat (opens in a new tab). It is an application that is still used by many users for its filters and content sharing sequences, and now you can see it on your lock screen.
There are two widgets to choose from – the first is shaped like a square which launches the Snapchat camera. While the second widget is a rectangle that can open a chat with a friend, alongside a sequence of how many times you’ve spoken to each other.
Trying them out is another great way to reduce swipes and taps from the lock screen to the app, while checking certain information when needed.
Focused work 4
Developped by Michael Tigas (opens in a new tab)Targeted work (opens in a new tab) has a powerful timer that can help you focus on the most important tasks, while being able to block certain websites and apps to keep that focus on track.
The app is already at version 4, available for free with a subscription that starts at $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$5.99. Focused Work comes with a few lock screen widgets – one will show the timer and current session, while the other will keep track of daily productive goals, as a way to motivate you to complete them for the day .
Each of these widgets does its job well, as it reduces the need to find the app on your home screen and check your daily goals in the app or a widget.
Countdowns
While using this app (opens in a new tab) In the past, for the countdown to my wedding day or the Steam Deck delivery, I’ve always had to check out a widget on the home screen. However, two new widgets for the lock screen will be able to let me view future events with a single tap to wake up the display.
You can choose between a widget of two different sizes, of which you can choose the icon. These will show the remaining days and the date the widget is counting down to.
These are simple but get the job done, especially if you have an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max with the screen always on, so you can always check how much time you have until Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is coming to your Nintendo Switch.
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