iOS 16 lock screen: All new widgets for your iPhone

This story is part of Focus iPhone 2022CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice on Apple’s most popular product.

iOS 16Apple’s latest operating system update for iPhonesadds some cool features like non-sending messages or Automatically remove objects from photosbut the most visible new feature is a customizable lock screen.

With the new iPhone lock screen, you can tweak the background, change colors and fonts, and add new widgets that stay on your screen when your iPhone is locked. Two types of widgets – round and rectangular – sit below the displayed time, while a third type – inline – appears as a bar above the clock.

You can add built-in Apple widgets from apps like Weather, Calendar or News, or tons of third-party widgets from your favorite apps, even Google (soon). Check out some of the coolest apps with widgets for the new iPhone lock screen with iOS 16 below. More information about iOS 16 can be found here the first things to do after getting up and running and why your iPhone might not have all the cool iOS 16 features.

iOS 16 apps to design your own widgets

widget smith

Widgetsmith – a robust iPhone app for creating and editing your own widgets – debuted in 2020 when iOS 14 added widgets to its home screen. Now the app adds its widget customization tricks to iPhone lock screen.

With Widgetsmith, you can create and customize all three types of lock screen widgets to add calendar items, text, weather updates, photos, and more.

ScreenKit

ScreenKit is another widget customization app that dives into lock screens with iOS 16. The app comes with tons of custom icons and other aesthetic features.

With ScreenKit, you can easily create your own lock screen widget from scratch and then customize it further by adjusting the background, colors, or decoration.

iOS 16 apps that trigger functions or other apps

launcher

Launcher widgets have been available for the Home Screen and Today View for years. With the app, you can create shortcuts to quickly access bookmarks, play music, launch other apps, or communicate with your top contacts by phone, message, or FaceTime.

Now you can enjoy most of Launcher’s features on your iPhone lock screen. Just tap your favorite person’s face to send them a message or a call.

Start

Add quick shortcuts to your favorite iPhone apps or bookmarks to your lock screen with Launchify, a new app released on the same day as iOS 16. The app lets you import your own custom icons or use thousands from their own library.

With the free version of Launchify, you can only add two circular widgets to your lock screen — a $17-a-year or $2-a-month subscription unlocks additional widgets and the ability to add apps that aren’t in Launchify’s database are included.

iOS 16 utilities, trackers and social media apps with lock screen widgets

flighty

The popular flight tracker app Flighty has already been updated to support lock screen widgets. Now you can just glance at your iPhone for the latest updates on arrivals and departures.

You can also add lock screen widgets with a countdown to your trip, the weather at your destination, an in-flight progress bar, or other detailed information about your flight, including gate number, seat assignment, and baggage claim information.

Facebook

Social media giant Facebook surprised users on the day iOS 16 launched by updating its iPhone app to include support for two lock screen widgets. You can add birthdays at a glance or top updates from your friends.

The birthday widget comes in both round and rectangular versions. The Top Updates widget is only available as a wider rectangular widget and contains your latest Facebook notifications.

Dark noise

The ambient noise app Dark Noise has become a popular tool for iPhone users who like to have background noise to sleep or focus on. Now you can access white noise right from the lock screen. Added Dark Noise all three types of widgets for the various sounds and noises included in the app.

Apollo for Reddit

Heavy Reddit users will appreciate this third-party app’s new lock screen widgets for following the popular message board site. Apollo for Reddit developer Christian Selig has already created several new lock screen widgets that allow you to monitor Reddit activity at a glance while your iPhone is locked.

You can add widgets showing how your latest post is performing, new messages in your inbox, your updated karma points, trending posts, or bookmarks on your favorite subreddits, among many options.

WaterMinder

The health-focused iPhone app WaterMinder helps you stay hydrated, and now you can remind yourself to drink more water — right from your iPhone lock screen. The app was recently updated to add eight styles of lock screen widgets.

You can now see your current water level, see hourly and weekly charts, and log your drinks right on your iPhone’s lock screen.

things

Things is a popular personal task manager for iPhone that allows you to create to-do lists and track your progress as you complete them. A new iOS 16 update brings much of the power of Things right to your iPhone lock screen.

Three new widgets from Things let you view the tasks on your to-do list, quickly add a new task, or track your progress as you complete your tasks. The Things lock screen widget shows the tasks in your Today list by default, but you can customize it to show other items like your inbox, appointments, or shopping lists.

package

Useful parcel tracking app Parcel lets you monitor the progress of your deliveries from 300 services including UPS, FedEx, DHL and the US Postal Service. With the latest iOS 16 update, the app now adds the ability to track a specific package right from your lock screen. Parcel’s lock screen widgets come in all three formats – circular, rectangular, and inline.

More apps with new lock screen widgets for iPhones running iOS 16

Many more iPhone apps have updated or added lock screen widgets for use with iOS 16. Here’s a list of the programs we found that have new lock screen widgets:

More information about iOS 16 and the new iPhone 14 can be found here why your iPhone might not get all the new features of iOS 16 and How to remove the new search button from your home screen.