The upcoming iOS 26 update introduces new lock screen customization features including adjustable clock size, movable widget dock, 3D spatial effects for wallpapers, and color changes for controls, enhancing user personalization on iPhones.
A future Android update will introduce a blurred wallpaper background for lock screen widgets, aligning with the Material 3 design language, and will be available on phones in Android 16 QPR1, enhancing visual consistency across the OS.
Lock screen widgets are making a comeback in Android 15, but they will only be available on tablets. The feature, known as "glanceable hub," allows users to add widgets to a communal space accessed from the lock screen on tablet devices like the Pixel Tablet. While this may disappoint smartphone users, there is hope that Google will leverage its At a Glance view to surface widgets on smartphones in the future.
Apple has released iOS 17 with numerous new features and changes. Users are advised to set up their StandBy screen, customize Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, personalize their Contact Poster, enable Live Voicemail, create stickers from photos, set up new Safari profiles, turn on anti-tracking, securely share passwords, name pets in Photos, log moods in the Health app, share AirTags with family members, and try out new features on AirPods Pro 2.