Android
Android 15 might bring back lock screen widgets, but there’s a catch
Android 15 seems full of surprises and one major amazement could come in the form of lock screen widgets. A few new codes indicate that Google may bring back the widgets feature for the lock screen. However, there’s a catch in this scenario.
Spotted first by Android Authority, Google could add a hidden setting to Android 15 to access lock screen widgets. But this feature could initially remain confined to tablets.
Due to a few changes, the widgets for the lock screen will be available only on tablets with the stable Android 15 upgrade. Meanwhile, users can look forward to future software builds where the U.S. OEM might open this feature for smartphones.
Tablet users would be able to access certain important widgets on the lock screen. But here comes another twist. These widgets won’t exactly appear on the lock screen but on the glanceable hub. It’s a separate page that holds widgets for lock screen.
One can enable the glanceable hub by visiting the Settings app > Hub mode > Lock screen and then turning on the toggle of the “Show widgets on lock screen” option.
Google has further tweaked this hub to avoid overlap of widgets. Android Authority has shared a video on how the lock screen widgets work efficiently on Pixel tablets.
Users can easily change, add, remove, or swap between these widgets. Even though the feature is not available for smartphones, Mishaal Rahman tried using this feature on a Pixel phone and it worked perfectly. Check the video HERE.
Google edged out lock screen widgets years ago. But with Android 15, it seems the company is trying to bring it back. Although how long it will take for smartphones to adopt this feature is still a query.
[Source – AndroidAuthority/Choqao]