Lock screen widgets could be set to return in the next major Android OS update – Android 15 – based on hidden features discovered in the latest Android 14 beta.
The tool is clearly unfinished, suggesting it is far from being released to the public, but as reported by Android Authority it is possible to access a new Common Area area on the lock screen that will allow you to add widgets.
Currently you’re limited to just three apps – Google Calendar, Google Clock and the Google app – although it’s likely more software could be added as their widget category is updated.
Furthermore, when you return to your completed common area, it’s currently a cluttered mix of widgets and the typical Android lock screen. So not something that is ready for public use.
This wouldn’t be the first time lock screen widgets have appeared on Android devices; Google tried something similar in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Users could add a preview of their messages, calendar and email inbox to the lock screen, as well as quick access to the camera and a tool that identified which song was playing.
Aspects of this feature remained – you can see message previews, quickly access certain apps, and identify which song is playing on your lock screen – but Android 5 put an end to this true widget-like sense of customizability, something this common space- function could be brought back.
Exclusively for a Pixel Tablet?
While it looks like lock screen widgets will make a comeback in the next Android update, unfortunately they may not come to every device. At least not right away. At the moment, it appears that Communal Space is exclusive to Hub Mode devices – currently only the Pixel Tablet.
In addition, you may not be able to update your common area with all the widgets that allow you to decorate your homepage. The Pixel Tablet can have multiple users, and the name Communal Space suggests that these widgets are the ones that are safe and relevant to each user of the device.
As with all leaked beta features, we have to remember that there’s no guarantee that the return of lock screen widgets will happen anytime soon – or even at all. Google could reserve the feature for a much later Android OS update like Android 16 or 17, or decide after testing that it wants to scrap it altogether.
That said, since lock screen widgets are now a mainstay of Apple’s products since the launch of iOS 16 (released in September 2022), it seems likely that Google doesn’t want its Android users to feel like they’re missing out . So lock screen widgets on Android feel more like a matter of when and not if. We’ll just have to wait and see what it announces next year.