Google brought back lock screen widgets to the Pixel Tablet as a part of the December Pixel Feature Drop when it released Android 15 QPR2. From the moment lock screen widgets first arrived on the Pixel Tablet in earlier betas, we wondered if Google would eventually bring them back to phones too. We now know that is indeed the plan.
Today, Google shared a new FAQ for widgets on lock screens and confirmed that they will return to phones in the near future. Their wording on the upcoming change is slightly confusing as far as timing goes, but you can read it below for yourself. Basically, they are confirming that lock screen widgets arrive in AOSP for both tablets and mobile (aka phones) in late summer:
Lock screen widgets will be available in AOSP for tablets and mobile starting with the release after Android 16 (QPR1). This update is scheduled to be pushed to AOSP in late Summer 2025. Lock screen widgets are already available on Pixel Tablets.
Again, this is a bit confusing because Android 16 will drop in Q2 (we’re guessing at Google I/O in May), with Android 16 QPR1 in beta likely to follow almost immediately. With this sped-up timeline for Android 16, we must be getting stable QPR1 quicker than usual, followed by this update that allows for widgets on phones and other tablets beyond the Pixel Tablet. Then again, this could be poorly written and is instead suggesting that we’ll get lock screen widgets in QPR1 of Android 16, which follows the general release of Android 16.
Either way, lock screen widgets on phones is happening this year with Android 16.