Lock Screen Widgets on Android 16 and One UI 8: How to Turn Them On and What They Can Show
Lock screen widgets returned to Pixel phones with the Android 16 QPR2 update in December 2025, and Samsung has had its own lock screen widgets in One UI for some time, expanded in One UI 8. On a Pixel, turn them on in Settings, Display & touch, Lock screen, with the Widgets on lock screen toggle, then swipe left on the lock screen to add them; on a Galaxy, press and hold the lock screen and tap Add widgets.
The two implementations are different enough that it is worth going through each, along with what a lock screen widget can and cannot show, because that is where most disappointment comes from.
A short history, so the version numbers make sense
Android had lock screen widgets in version 4.2, removed them in 5.0, and did not have them again on phones for over a decade. Google brought the feature back on the Pixel Tablet first, in late 2024, and then to Pixel phones in Android 16 QPR2. Samsung, meanwhile, added its own lock screen widgets to One UI independently of Google, originally limited to Samsung’s own apps.
Pixel phones on Android 16 QPR2 or later
The feature is off by default after the update, which is why many people install it and see nothing new.
Turning it on
- Open Settings.
- Tap Display & touch.
- Tap Lock screen.
- Turn on Widgets on lock screen.
There is no confirmation message; the toggle simply changes state.
Adding widgets
- Lock the phone and wake the screen.
- Swipe left on the lock screen. A widgets page appears.
- Press and hold to enter edit mode, then choose a widget from the list.
- Add more pages by continuing to add widgets; each page holds up to three standard-sized widgets, and some widgets can be stretched to two slots or a full page.
Any installed Android widget can be placed here, including third-party ones. Widgets are interactive within the limits of the lock screen, so you can tap a control, but some actions will ask you to unlock first.
Things worth knowing
- The swipe gesture is sensitive. With several pages it is easy to overshoot.
- The widgets page is separate from the main lock screen; the clock and notifications do not share space with widgets.
- Widgets on the lock screen follow the same update rules as on the home screen, covered in why widgets update every 30 minutes. They are not more live for being on the lock screen.
Samsung Galaxy on One UI 7 and 8
Samsung’s lock screen widgets live on the lock screen itself, near the clock, rather than on a separate swipe-to page. On older One UI versions they appear when you tap the clock; on One UI 7 and 8 they are shown directly.
Adding widgets
- Wake the phone to the lock screen.
- Press and hold an empty area of the lock screen until the editor opens. You may need to unlock first.
- Tap Widgets (or Add widgets, depending on the version).
- Choose from the list, then arrange by pressing and dragging.
- Tap Done.
You can also reach the same editor from Settings, then Wallpaper and style, then the lock screen preview, then the widgets option.
What is available
Historically the list was Samsung-only: Weather, Calendar, Digital Wellbeing, Routines and similar. One UI 8 expanded the set with widgets such as Camera, Device Care, Gallery, Interpreter and Modes and Routines, and made the widgets larger. Whether third-party widgets appear in the list on your particular firmware is the thing to check; reports during the One UI 8 rollout said Samsung was expected to adopt Google’s third-party support, but availability has varied by device and update, so look at the list on your phone rather than trusting an article, including this one.
Other brands
OnePlus, Xiaomi, Motorola and others each have their own lock screen features, ranging from a fixed set of shortcuts to nothing at all. The Android 16 base gives manufacturers the option to expose the Google-style widgets page, but exposing it is a choice each one makes. If your phone is not a Pixel or a Galaxy, search the settings for “lock screen” and look for a widgets entry; if there is none, the feature has not been enabled on that firmware.
What a lock screen widget cannot do
A few expectations are worth resetting:
- It is not always-on. Lock screen widgets are shown when the screen is woken, not on the always-on display. Nothing in Android 16 or One UI 8 lets a third-party widget draw on the always-on display.
- It does not replace the wallpaper. Widgets sit on top of the lock screen wallpaper in a fixed layout. If you want something drawn across the whole lock screen, that is a wallpaper, not a widget.
- It is not more frequently updated. Same 30-minute floor, same exceptions for plain clock and elapsed-time views.
A live counter on the lock screen
If the thing you want on the lock screen is a moving number, the more reliable route on Samsung is a live wallpaper applied to Home and lock screens, since One UI draws the live wallpaper on both. On Pixel, live wallpapers apply to the lock screen too, with the caveat that the lock screen clock and notifications sit on top of it. The live wallpaper setup guide covers both.
TimeBorn’s widget works anywhere a standard Android widget does, which includes the Pixel lock screen widgets page. At the widget’s 2 to 7 decimal places it steps rather than flows, for the reasons above. For a counter that moves on the lock screen, its live wallpaper is the tool, and you can place the number so it sits clear of the clock and notifications.