Google’s widget week for developers continues with the announcement that they are coming to phone lockscreens with Android 16 QPR1.
Following the launch on Pixel Tablet with Android 15 QPR1 in December, Google today said “Lock screen widgets will be available in AOSP for tablets and mobile starting with the release after Android 16 (QPR1).” That should be around September, with Google noting that the “update is scheduled to be pushed to AOSP in late Summer 2025.” (Google previously described that release as “25Q3” and having “Features only,” while 25Q4 or 16 QPR2 is set for new developer “APIs & features.”)
However, in terms of actual device availability, Google just notes how:
Other device manufacturers may update their devices as well once the feature is available in AOSP.
Notably, “Customization of the lock screen widget user interface by OEMs is not supported in the initial release.”
All lock screen widgets will have the same developer experience on all devices.
Google says “Lock screen widgets are sized to approximately 4 cells wide by 3 cells tall on the launcher, but exact dimensions vary by device.” Both Dynamic Color and resizing are therefore recommended. Officially, “widgets allowed on the lock screen have the same requirements as any other widgets.”
If a widget launches an activity from the lock screen, users must authenticate to launch the activity, or the activity should declare android:showWhenLocked=”true” in its manifest entry.
By default, Google is making all widgets available on the lockscreen “to prioritize user choice and customization,” but an opt-out API is offered to developers.
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