Get ready, big changes are coming on your phone lock screen

What is happening

Between the launch of iOS 16, Glance’s upcoming expansion of lock screen content in the US, and updates to Google’s Pixel phone widgets, it’s clear that the lock screen is about to change.

why does it matter?

The lock screen is the first thing most people see when they pick up their phone. These updates indicate that companies are trying to make better use of that space.

What’s Next

Apple’s iOS 16 update officially launched in the fall and just arrived in public beta on Monday. Glance has not provided a timeline for his US debut.

how often do you have phone every day? It doesn’t matter if the number is only once or too many, you will always be the first to be greeted with our lock screen wallpaper. Maybe it’s a picture of your pet, a picture of a beautiful sunset from a recent vacation, or just a great piece of art. All of this can change very quickly.

The lock screen has always been an intimate space for personal photos, important notifications, and gadgets like a flashlight. But companies are increasingly looking to do more with that valuable real estate, as evidenced by: iOS 16 update from Apple And other changes mentioned that Android phones.

iOS 16 update from Apple, which Released in public beta On Monday, it will bring more customization options and new widgets to the iPhone lock screen when it arrives this fall. You can quickly see more information and apply stylish photo lock screen effects similar to portrait mode on iPhone.

Tips:A Google-powered subsidiary of the mobile ad technology company InMobiIt also reiterated its plans to bring the lock screen platform to the United States. It is said that Google is planning to integrate more information into the Pixel phones screen lock tool.

All things considered, changes like this suggest we may not want to get around lock screens so quickly in the future.

iOS 16 lock screen widget gallery

Gallery widget for iPhone lock screen in iOS 16.

Apple / screenshot by CNET

iPhone lock screen is undergoing a major revamp

One of the biggest features available in iOS 16 is New lock screen. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, called it “the biggest update ever” when he introduced the update in Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. You can customize font styles and colors for the date and time and give your background image a magazine cover aesthetic.

as such I wrote beforeIt is really the new tools that will bring more benefits to your iPhone lock screen. The iPhone already allows you to place widgets on the secondary Today View screen of the lock screen, which you can access by swiping right.

But iOS 16 adds widgets to the Home Lock screen to display pieces of information at a glance, such as temperature, activity loops from the Apple Watch, and upcoming events in the calendar. Android phones have been offering this kind of functionality for years and it’s good to see Iphone Follow. You can also create and move between multiple lock screens, like Apple Watch faces.

Since you can add widgets from apps like Spotify, Google Maps, and Outlook to Today’s View on iPhone, I wouldn’t be surprised if third-party tools are also available for the new lock screen. If you look closely at Apple’s WWDC demo, you’ll also see an option for a Nike widget. This means that developers may soon have another way to reach iPhone owners and prevent their apps from getting sucked into the depths of a user’s app library.

It is impossible to say how useful this new lock screen will be without spending a lot of time with iOS 16. But as I wrote before, it looks like the new iOS 16 widgets will make your iPhone look more like your device Apple Watch, which looks like an upgrade. Like the Apple Watch, the new lock screen should make it easier to see important pieces of information without having to dig into apps or even unlock your phone.

Screenshot of the Glance website showing lock screens on some phones

Screenshot of the Glance website showing what their lock screen platform looks like.

Profile / screenshot from CNET

Android phone owners may have new lock screen options soon

Glance, which offers entertainment and other digital content on lock screens to some Android devices in India and Southeast Asia, is in talks with wireless carriers to launch it in the US in the next two months. take a crunch. While the company hasn’t revealed a US launch date or other details, it did offer a glimpse of the lock screen in the US on Monday.

Glance’s lock screen will appear as what it calls “spaces,” which are lock screens designed primarily for specific themes. For example, a custom fitness lock screen displays stats like calories burned and exercise goals, along with a music player. The news “space” will feature headlines and the weather, while the music version may include live concerts. It reminds me of how the new iPhone lock screen in iOS 16 connects to various “hot points” like work or personal.

The take a crunch The report on Glance’s arrival in the US has raised concerns that ads will also appear on the lock screen. Company page appears at a glance Examples of advertisers who used his platform to reach potential customers on the first screen they see when they pick up their phone. Case studies include Intel, Zomato, and Garnier.

But Rohan Chowdhury, vice president and general manager of Glance Feed, told CNET that the US version will be ad-free.

“It is very clear that in the United States we will not have any ads on the lock screen at all,” he said.

The company also published Monday press release By saying, “It is not our intention to display ads on the lock screen.” However, Glance will have to prove that its lock screen offerings offer more value than many other tools and options already available to Android users. It will also have to find the right balance of showing useful information without being distracted.

The company says it plans to monetize its service with news subscriptions and retail platform trading links that appear through Glance. But these choices must be useful and relevant, or else you might feel intrusive, like ads. The company says it has a 60% retention rate and can be found on 400 million phones in the markets it currently operates in.

Quick look at the fitness themed lock screen

When Glance launches in the US, it will focus its lock screen options on specific topics called “Spaces”. The screenshots above are an example of a fitness room.

Profile / Screenshots from CNET

In the meantime, Google has its own resources to make the lock screen more useful. Company Job Overview for Pixel phones Displays relevant information on the lock screen, if any, as the name implies. recent report from 9to5Google It is suggested that new stories will be visible in this tool soon. One of the new alerts available in At a Glance could be ride-sharing updates from apps like Lyft and Uber, which could make it easier to see urgent notifications from the lock screen.

Regardless of implementation, these expected changes prove that the lock screen needs an update. As our phones have evolved into hubs for accessing information, controlling home appliances, and ordering everything from a taxi to completing errands, the lock screen has taken on an important new role. It is not enough just to display alerts at the right time.

Whether it’s the new widgets in iOS 16, Pixel’s At a Glance feature updates, or Glance’s Spaces lock screen, the goal seems to be the same: to make lock screens better at organizing the flow of notifications and updates. every day. It remains to be seen how successful these efforts will be.

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