Here’s an early look at the lock screen widget in Android 15.

Widgets give you instant access to your favorite app shortcuts and information from your Android home screen. Android widgets have been around since Android version 1.5 in 2009, but on most devices they can only be added to the home screen. Android previously allowed you to add widgets to the lock screen as well, but this feature was removed with his Android 5.0 release in late 2014. Nearly a decade later, Google is working to bring widgets back to the lock screen in the next version. Android 15 update. The feature hasn’t been released yet, but we were able to enable it early in the first beta to get a sneak peek at Android 15’s lock screen widgets.

Before we take a look at what Android 15’s lock screen widgets look like, there are a few things that need to be mentioned. First, this hands-on was recorded on a device running Android 15 Beta 1. Beta 1 is just one of four planned beta releases. That means a lot can change between now and the stable release of Android 15 later this year. Second, the lock screen widget feature is clearly unfinished and has some obvious UI bugs. The most notable thing is that certain his UI elements on the lock screen (such as the clock) are overlaid on top of the widget screen. Finally, the lock screen widget is currently only available on devices that support Android’s Hub Mode feature. This includes some tablets, such as the Pixel Tablet, but does not include book-style foldable tablets, such as the Pixel Fold, or all Pixel smartphones.

That aside, let’s take a look at the current state of lock screen widget support in Android 15. The first thing you need to do is enable the feature by going to the following link: Settings > Hub Mode Then toggle “Show widget on lock screen”. There’s another toggle called “Allow widgets on lock screen,” which does exactly what it says. If you don’t do this, only widgets with categories will be displayed. KEYGUARD You can add it to your lock screen. KEYGUARD This is a widget category that Google introduced in Android 4.2 (the first version of the OS to introduce support for lock screen widgets), and few apps currently utilize it.

After you enable lock screen widgets in Settings, you can access the widget area (known as the “at-a-glance hub”) by swiping in from the right edge of the lock screen. When you first access the at-a-glance hub, you’ll see a card with a button to add widgets. Once a card is closed, it will never be displayed again, but you can add widgets later by long-pressing anywhere on the card and tapping the “Customize widget” button that appears at the top.

Tapping either button opens the widget editor screen, where you can add, remove, or rearrange widgets (but unfortunately, you can’t resize them). However, you must unlock your device to access the widget editor screen. This will prevent anyone else from adding widgets that display your personal data without your consent. However, once you have added the widgets you want, you can take a peek at them without unlocking your device.

If I had to guess why Google is limiting lock screen widget support to tablets running Android 15, it would be to I think it’s because tablets are really the only devices with screens. Samsung has managed to include widgets on your phone’s lock screen, but only a select few options are allowed unless you use the separately optional Good Lock module. A better approach is to move At a Glance’s “widget” to the bottom of the lock screen and embed views from third-party apps, much like Live Activity on iOS. There are hints that Google is trying this approach, but it remains to be seen whether it will follow through.

In any case, we will keep an eye on the development of lock screen widget support in Android 15. Because we still have a long way to go before it’s ready for prime time.

thank you to the developer Kieron Quinn Thanks for his help in getting this feature working!