Widgets were the feature backbone of Android, and one of its biggest unique draws until it was removed from locked screens since Android 5.0. But, according to Mishaal Rahman via Android Authority, two in-development features highly suggest its return with Android 15, with a bit of additional circumstantial “inspiration” from Apple’s more recent-ish implementations, of course.
Backtracking for Competition
Actually, as some of you may remember, Android 4.2 did introduce Lock Screen Widgets a decade (yes, a decade) ago. But it was somehow removed without much fanfare by the time Android 5.0 came around. After that, Google never seemed to care much for it, not even the slightest hint of interest in the idea.
Then came iOS 16 in 2022, showcasing several key quality-of-life updates that included, well… lock screen widgets. The eagle-eyed Android enthusiasts immediately latched on to this, and it was at this point that many of them speculated that Google would eventually dig up its archives and bring back this old feature.
‘Messy’ Communal Space
In addition to Apple’s iOS 16, the more tangible possibility of the return of lock screen widgets in Android comes from a weird area on a preview build lock screen, accessible by swiping inward from the right. This was the first in-development feature pointed out. Named the “communal space”, the feature was apparently available in the Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 update.
From this screen, it seems you can add widgets from Google Calendar, Google Clock, and Google App by accessing a pencil icon on the top left. Upon selecting a few of them, the widgets were indeed added, confirming that it works. However, the lock screen UI was overlapping on top, showing its under-development state.
But perhaps the more curious point was the app restriction. While the feature highly suggests that you can use any compatible app, you can currently only use mostly Google-based apps. It was then discovered that the lock screen would only accept widgets that have the KEYGUARD (WIDGET_CATEGORY_KEYGUARD) category. Do you know what OS (version) uses this system to select apps as usable lock screen widgets? That’s right, Android 4.2.
While the original article maintains the typical disclaimer for these types of speculative announcements, there was at least one more strong argument for the eventual return of lock screen widgets: At a Glance. Think about it. Using At a Glance, Pixel phones already have a universal widget-like feature that works within a lock screen.
And it’s not just a conceptual thing. It is further explained that since At a Glance is built on top of Smartspace (cards interfacing API), the development can simply be considered its next-step evolution. To further support this point, Google is now working to incorporate RemoteViews (the foundation of Android widgets) into the Smartspace API.
Another Hit or Miss?
Even if Android 15 wouldn’t roll out as the original source suggests, the conclusion was that Smartspace is still slated to provide considerable improvements to At a Glance. Whether or not that results in general lock screen widgets being available again is up in the air.
