- Android used to let you place widgets on the lock screen, but this feature was killed off in Android 5.0 Lollipop.
- Code within the latest Android 14 QPR2 beta suggests that this feature might return in some form.
- We don’t have the full details on what lock screen widget support might look like in Android 15, nor whether third-party widgets may be supported.
Android widgets are one of the operating system’s oldest and best features. Adding a widget to the Android home screen is one of the easiest ways to personalize your device, giving you useful information at a glance or providing quick access to app functionality. But to even access your widgets, you first need to unlock your device since widgets aren’t shown on Android’s lock screen. That could change in Android 15, though, as the latest Android beta release has evidence suggesting lock screen could make a comeback.
I say “comeback” because Android, at one point, actually did support adding widgets to the lock screen. Lock screen widget support was touted as a key feature of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean before being unceremoniously killed off in Android 5.0 Lollipop. There haven’t been any indications since then that Google would ever bring this feature back. But after Apple introduced widgets to the iPhone lock screen in iOS 16, many speculated that it was only a matter of time. Android 14 introduced customizable lock screen shortcuts and clock styles, so it follows that Google might continue to make the lock screen more customizable in the next release.