With iOS 18, you can enjoy more interactive Lock Screen widgets, bringing your favorite features and info at a glance. In addition to the system app’s widgets, several widgets apps let you elevate your iPhone Lock Screen to be dynamic and useful.
In this article, I’ll share my favorite Lock Screen widgets for iPhone that you can use to make the most of your screen.
Table of Contents
Best Lock Screen widgets for health and fitness
Track your daily exercise goals, calories burned, and steps on your iPhone lock screen to stay motivated and maintain an active lifestyle.
1. Empirical Sleep
The Empirical Sleep application aims to track your sleep pattern and divide it into three categories – Sleep onset time, duration, and quality. After analyzing this data over 7 days, the application displays results and recommends daily challenges to improve your sleeping habits.
With the latest update, the developers have added widgets for sleep onset, duration, quality, and stages; you can add these to the iPhone’s lock screen or Apple Watch face.
2. NapBot
The NapBot application automatically tracks and analyses your sleeping pattern using on-device machine learning. The free version provides detailed sleep analysis, environmental sound exposure, and sleep heart rate. Sleep history and sleep trends are some of the features unlocked with the app’s Pro subscription.
3. Personal Best
The Personal Best application is focused on collecting all your workout data from your Apple Watch and iPhone. It tracks information like distance traveled, heart rate, etc. Once done, the information is presented in a way that looks good and helps provide more insight into your workouts. The application also provides feedback to help you improve and only compares you with yourself. It pushes you to be the best version of yourself.
Adding widgets lets you track workouts and heart rate zones even when your iPhone’s screen is locked. It also supports Always-on Display.
4. SmartGym
SmartGym is a very useful application for gym freaks. It tracks muscle fatigue, targeted muscles, routine tags, personal records, types of sets, and monthly history records. The Mission Control widget lets you view all the important weekly charts. Other available widgets are heart rate, weekly summary, and calorie charts.
5. CardioBot
CardioBot is a unique application that recommends heart rate recovery analysis, referring to the studies provided by the American Heart Association. It aims to help you improve your cardiovascular system and maintain a healthier lifestyle. The app also captures workout and meditation data, as well as sleep analysis and heart rate information.
The application developers have now added a couple of widgets to the lock screen, and you can also use the same widgets on the Always-on Display.
6. WaterMinder
I remember reading this somewhere, “Adulting is all about reminding yourself to drink enough water.” Water Minder does more than remind you to drink water at frequent intervals. The application will set the minimum water intake required by your body based on your weight. You can log information about other liquid intakes and view the history in a weekly chart.
You can choose from 8 widgets that display your current water levels, hourly and weekly graphs, etc.
Best Lock Screen widgets for Personalization and aesthetics
With many users having the same iPhone model as you, personalizing your device is essential to make it feel unique. Widgets are an excellent way to improve your phone’s functionality and aesthetics. Here are some of the best widgets that can transform your iPhone into a true reflection of your style.
7. Widgetsmith
Widgetsmith has more than 500K ratings on the App Store and is one of the most popular applications for creating custom widgets on the home screen. With the latest update, the company is adding support for lock screen widgets. You can choose from a wide range of lock screen widgets and also add multi-line rectangular widgets.
With the iOS update, configuring and editing widgets is more intuitive. Tapping on widgets launches the corresponding application.
8. Motivation
The Motivation application stands true to its name. It displays motivational quotes in the widget space on the home screen. With the latest iOS, you can add widgets to the lock screen. You can add these widgets in different sizes.
The application’s main aim is to strengthen your mental health with positive, inspiring quotes on the lock screen and on the Always-on Display of your iPhone.
9. Lock Screen Icon Widgets
Rihab Mehboob, a WWDC 2022 Swift Student Challenge winner, developed Lock Screen Icon Widgets. The application includes more than 4000 unique icons alongside text.
Further, you can add widgets to the lock screen and customize them with icons and texts. You can also add a widget as a shortcut for Messages or FaceTime to a contact of your favorite person.
10. ScreenKit
ScreenKit is a customization app that allows you to change app icons, create different themes and widgets, and add more than 500 app icons and widgets to your home screen. It also has a huge collection of aesthetic wallpapers.
The latest update to the application supports widgets on the lock screen, and the app allows you to choose from more than 100 widgets. It offers more than lock screen customization, so try it if you’re bored with your home screen setup.
11. Launchify
Have you ever wanted to launch an application right from your lock screen? Well, Launchify might be what you’re looking for. It is an app launcher that lets you instantly open an app on your iPhone from your lock screen.
Moreover, the app allows you to customize your lock screen with widgets and assign them actions. You can add symbols, app icons, and custom images.
Best Lock Screen widgets for productivity
While many still prefer to manage their work by writing it down on paper, technology has simplified this by adding tasks to calendars, to-do lists, and more. Since many of us use our phones for work purposes, here are some lock screen widgets you should check out.
12. Things 3
Want to plan your day, manage your projects, and make actual progress toward your goals? Things is the app you should install. Once you fill in all the goals, the app will organize tasks based on priority and help you focus on what matters most right now. It will also send you reminders to ensure you are on track with your tasks.
The app now supports three lock screen widgets; a List widget that displays your to-do list, a Progress ring that keeps track of your completed tasks, and an Add New Item widget that lets you create or add a new task right from your lock screen.
13. LookUp Dictionary: Learn Daily
Please do not confuse the Look-Up application with Apple’s Visual Look Up feature. If you aren’t a native English speaker but want to expand your vocabulary, Look Up will be of great help. The app displays a new word every day, and you can add these or other words to a list of favorite words. It is a dictionary application with a beautiful design.
Avid readers will also benefit from the app because no matter how vast our vocabulary is, there’s always that one word that makes us wonder what it means. Look Up will display the word of the day on your lock screen and help you learn something new every day.
14. Fantastical
Fantastical is a great calendar application that helps you keep track of your tasks. It can work together with Google Tasks and Tools. This calendar app has multiple awards.
Three widgets are available: What is next on your calendar, a full month view of your calendar, and a quick action button.
Best Lock Screen widgets for weather and news
I check the weather before leaving for work every day, as it helps me decide whether to commute on my bike or call a cab. It’s always good to be prepared. If you follow the same habit or intend to do so, what’s better than a widget on your lock screen that displays the current weather without having to unlock your iPhone?
15. Carrot Weather
If you’re a sucker for design and aesthetics, the Carrot Weather application will not disappoint you. It has won Apple’s App of the Year alongside the Editor’s Choice App. The app also stores your data privately and provides accurate and detailed information about the weather.
The application developers have added support for more than 20 customizable lock screen widgets. You can view the weather and hourly and daily forecasts, and if you’re familiar with Carrot, you can also add a widget that displays their notorious jokes.
16. Slopes
Slopes is an application targeting a niche audience who frequent skiing and snowboarding. The app keeps you updated on weather conditions around your favorite resorts and displays snow forecasts, and you can add widgets for both of these features on your lock screen.
17. Lumy
Lumy is another application targeted toward a niche audience who wants to track the sun’s movements. How does tracking the sun help anyone? Well, the app is created for photographers in mind who want to capture images in the golden or blue hour or people who want to go out early in the morning for a run or a yoga session. Still, when the sun is out, you do not miss out on that Vitamin D while exercising.
Furthermore, you can add widgets that allow you to track any sun or moon event, such as moon phases, rising and setting times, and more.
Some people travel frequently, some occasionally, and others don’t. If you fall into the former two categories, you already have a few apps that work well. Until app developers for those apps release lock screen widgets, here are a couple of apps you should try that support lock screen widgets.
If you don’t travel often, maybe it’s time to start exploring.
18. TripIt
Traveling is fun, but you must plan everything and keep all the booking details in one place by creating an itinerary. TripIt does just that. Once you’ve booked tickets for your flight or confirmed a hotel booking, forward the details to the app’s email and add them to your Itinerary.
The widgets are available on the lock screen to display trip details like upcoming trips, plans, flight tickets, hotel reservations, etc. It updates based on the time; everything you need is on your lock screen.
19. Flighty
The Flighty app offers industry-first features like 25-hour flight tracking, delay forecast, taxi times, and a check-in assistant that will provide the right details at the right time. It is a tried and trusted app and provides pilot-grade alerts.
And you can also track your friends’ flights.
The widgets available on the iPhone Lock Screen are the trip countdown widget, live flight status, and in-flight progress bar.
Best Lock Screen widgets for quick access
Access essential music and podcast apps, track deliveries, and more from your lock screen for convenience.
20. Overcast
Overcast is the only podcast app written by a single developer; no big company is funding it. It is loaded with useful features and no gimmicks. Several technology publications have acclaimed the service.
The newly added lock screen widgets display unfinished or even newly published podcasts, a widget to resume the playlist of your choice, and an icon that launches the Overcast app from the lock screen.
21. Parcel
Parcel lets you track your delivery packages. That’s the easiest explanation for an application. You can track your package from over 300 delivery services, such as UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc. Adding a delivery is quite easy—just scan the QR code. At times, you won’t even need to manually add it, as Parcel has automation set up for several applications.
You can add a lock screen widget, which displays where your package has reached and when it will reach you. All the details are right on your lock screen.
22. Apollo for Reddit
Reddit is one of the best anonymous social sites that provides information and entertainment about anything and everything. While it is one of the best apps for keeping in touch with the world, the application is not very appealing, and Apollo is one of the most preferred Reddit clients.
Once you install Apollo, you have 8 widgets to choose from. One displays the total number of messages in your inbox, and another takes you directly to your inbox. There’s also a widget that displays your Karma, which is useful for users who like to farm Karma.
23. Pestle
I’ve been eating out for more than a couple of months now, and apart from hurting my wallet, it is also hurting my health. I wish I had found Pestle earlier as it allows importing recipes from anywhere and guides you throughout the cooking process. The app also syncs with all your devices.
You can add a widget that displays your meal plan so you are focused and know what to eat. The app developers will enable Live Activities later this year, which will help with the step-by-step cooking process.
Wrapping up…
So, that’s all for now, folks. I hope you found my handpicked list of lock screen widget apps useful. In the comments, let me know which widget you plan to download and use!
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