How to Add Widgets to Your iPhone Lock Screen

iPhone lock screen widgets put useful information — weather, battery, calendar, fitness — right on your lock screen without unlocking your phone.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Enter lock screen editing mode
2.Choose to edit the lock screen
3.Add widgets below the clock
4.Add a widget above the clock
5.Save your customized lock screen

Enter lock screen editing mode

~15s

Wake your iPhone and go to the lock screen (don't unlock it yet). Press and hold anywhere on the lock screen wallpaper for 1-2 seconds. The lock screen will animate slightly and a "Customize" button will appear at the bottom. Tap "Customize."

Choose to edit the lock screen

~15s

A row of your saved lock screen options will appear at the bottom. Tap the lock screen you want to edit (the currently active one has a blue ring). Then tap "Customize" at the bottom.

Add widgets below the clock

~26s

In the lock screen editor, you'll see a rectangular box below the clock with a "+" icon. Tap this box. A widget picker appears. Browse available widgets or search by app name. Tap a widget to add it. The row holds 4 small circular widgets, or 2 small + 1 rectangular, or similar combinations. Experiment to fit what you want.

Quick Tip

Weather (current temperature), Calendar (next event), and Battery (iPhone battery %) are the most universally useful lock screen widgets.

Add a widget above the clock

~15s

There's also a smaller widget area above the clock showing the date. Tap it to customize — you can swap the date for an activity ring, a second clock for another time zone, UV index, or other single-piece widgets.

Save your customized lock screen

~23s

When you're happy with your changes, tap "Done" in the top right corner. Tap "Set as Wallpaper Pair" (or "Use as Lock Screen") to apply the changes. Lock your iPhone and wake it to see your new lock screen with widgets.

Quick Tip

You can save multiple lock screens with different widgets for different contexts — work, weekend, or travel — and switch between them by pressing and holding the lock screen.

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Since iOS 16, iPhones have had customizable lock screens that include a widget area. You can place small informational widgets right on your lock screen — so without even unlocking your phone, you can see the time and temperature at a glance, check your next calendar event, see your step count, view battery levels for connected devices, or see UV index and air quality.

There are two widget areas on the lock screen: one row directly below the clock (for larger widgets) and a small area above the clock (for date, activity rings, or a single piece of info).

Lock screen widgets are "glanceable" — they show information but you can't interact with them fully without unlocking your phone. They're designed to answer common quick questions: What's the weather right now? Do I have any events today? How many steps have I taken?

Available widget types depend on the apps installed on your phone. Apple provides widgets for Weather, Calendar, Activity (fitness rings), Clock (for a second time zone), Reminders, and Battery. Third-party apps like Spotify, Nike Run Club, and transit apps often offer lock screen widgets too.

This feature requires iOS 16 or later and any recent iPhone model (iPhone 8 or newer). It works on all modern iPhones.

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