Google has announced that Android 16 will support widgets on the lock screen of phones and tablets, a feature that was previously only available on the Pixel Tablet. All widgets will be enabled by default, but users will have the option to disable them. Certain actions, such as opening an app, will require a fingerprint, PIN, or facial recognition.
This feature will become part of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) in the first update after the release of Android 16, which is expected in late summer. Meanwhile, Android 16 is still in beta and is expected to be released in June.
Currently, widgets on Android phones work through a screensaver that activates when the device is charging. However, Google says that device users will be able to determine how they activate, bringing different options. Unlike the Pixel Tablet, where widgets appear in a two-row grid, on Android phones they will appear vertically, allowing only a few of them to be on the screen at a time. To see the others, users will have to scroll between pages.