Android 15 will allow you to add widgets to the lock display screen, however solely on tablets

Top-of-the-line methods you possibly can customise your Android telephone or pill is by including a widget to the house display screen. Android widgets have been round for a really very long time, however in most flavors of the OS, you’re solely capable of place them on your property display screen. Android used to allow you to add widgets to the lock display screen, but it surely’s been almost a decade because the working system allow you to do this. The upcoming Android 15 replace, nonetheless, will allow you to add widgets to the lock display screen, however there’s a big catch.

Earlier this 12 months, I revealed that Google is engaged on bringing again lock display screen widget assist in Android 15. I made this assertion primarily based on the existence of a brand new “communal house” — an space that’s accessed by swiping inward from the suitable facet of the lock display screen. This communal house let me add widgets from choose apps that also utilized an previous API made for Android’s older lock display screen widget function. That, plus the truth that the communal house was accessible from the lock display screen, led me to imagine that this work was certainly associated to a revived lock display screen widget function.

Nonetheless, I cautioned in direction of the tip of my earlier article that Google would possibly restrict lock display screen widgets to pill units just like the Pixel Pill. That’s as a result of there was code tying the brand new lock display screen widget assist to Android’s hub mode, which is a set of settings particular to tablets that may be docked. With the discharge of Android 15 beta 1 earlier right this moment, I can now affirm that Android 15’s lock display screen widget function is meant for tablets.

Whereas digging by the primary Android 15 beta, I found strings pertaining to new toggles that may seem underneath Settings > Hub mode on units just like the Pixel Pill. One toggle will permit the consumer to “present widgets on lock display screen” even “with out unlocking your pill.” In the meantime, one other toggle provides the consumer the choice to “permit any widget on lock display screen.” The latter is fascinating as a result of beforehand, the aforementioned communal house solely supported including widgets with the previous KEYGUARD class enabled. With a little bit of tinkering, I used to be capable of floor these new toggles in Android’s hub mode settings, as proven under.

Underneath the hood, this function is named “glanceable hub,” which makes lots of sense because you aren’t truly inserting widgets immediately on the lock display screen. Moderately, you’re swiping to open a brand new web page the place the widgets will be added. Sadly, I’m unable to correctly exhibit the brand new lock display screen widget function as I wasn’t capable of get it totally working. I used to be, nonetheless, capable of manually launch the web page the place you possibly can add lock display screen widgets, which let me see how the “permit any widget on lock display screen” toggle affected widget availability.

When “permit any widget on lock display screen” was disabled, I used to be in a position so as to add the next widgets:

When “permit any widget on lock display screen” was enabled, I used to be in a position so as to add these widgets along with the earlier ones:

• Chrome
• Contacts
• Digital Wellbeing
• Google TV
• Google Preserve
• Translate
• YouTube Music

Whereas it’s a disgrace that lock display screen widgets in Android 15 will possible be restricted to tablets, there’s a silver lining. I beforehand reported that Google would possibly leverage its At a Look view on the lock display screen to floor widgets on smartphones. Though I don’t have any new particulars on that effort, I’m hoping that it’ll make an look quickly in an upcoming Android 15 beta.