How to add widgets to your iPhone lock screen on iOS 16

With iOS 16, Apple made the lock screen so customizable. It’s the most personal part of your experience, next to the home screen, and something you interact with on a daily basis.

Apple now lets you add widgets directly to your lock screen, a feature that flows right into the new iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display.

That means you can add an app like the clock or the fitness app to your lock screen and see your upcoming alarms or daily step count. Beyond Apple’s own apps, perhaps daily affirmations and the like from a motivational app or your latest Facebook comments would be welcome on your lock screen. You can even get a distance widget to see how close/far away you and a loved one are.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of beautifying your iOS 16 lock screen with all the necessary widgets.

How to add widgets to your lock screen on iOS 16

Adding widgets to your iPhone lock screen is done the same way as changing any part of the lock screen. It’s a little different from what Apple had in previous years, but it should be simple enough once you get used to it.

Step 1: Go to your iPhone lock screen and hold down on any space to bring up the lock screen menu. From here, tap To adjust.

Step 2: Look under the clock, you should see one Add widgets prompt there. Tap on it to start adding the widget.

Step 3: A widget chooser will appear showing all the widgets on your iPhone. This includes many of Apple’s own apps, as well as third-party apps that have been updated to support them.

Step 4: Choose your widgets. You can choose up to four, although the configuration is determined by the style of widget you choose. You can choose up to four small widgets, two large ones, or a single large one and two smaller ones.

Step 5: After making your desired widget selection, tap Finished and then Save as background pair when prompted.

iOS 16 widgets could certainly be improved. Apple could allow you to customize them, adding even more space for widgets to the lock screen instead of the limited four, or the company could make some of them more interactive a la Live Activities. With access to full widgets just a swipe away, iOS 16 lock screen widgets help make the new lock screen more customizable than ever.

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