
Google might bring back one of the best-known Android features of all time. A piece of code spotted in the Android 15 beta release hints that the tech giant is reportedly working on reintroducing the ability to add widgets on the lock screen.
Android has had lock screen widgets since its first public release of Android 1.5 Cupcake but were removed for some reasons unknown with the Android 5.0 Lollipop release. Years later, Apple introduced a similar functionality to iOS and iPadOS-powered devices like the iPhone and iPad.
The report also suggested that it may be because apps that can show widgets on the lock screen require a category called KEYGUARD, the same trigger Google used in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. While the lock screen displayed widgets without having to unlock the screen, it looks like the feature is under development as the clock is overlapping the widgets.
Moreover, the lock screen widgets may be limited to the Pixel Tablet or Android devices with large screens that support hub mode. It is also possible that Google might design the feature in such a way that the system will only display widgets that are safe to show on an Android device with multiple users.
Another way Google might bring lock screen widgets to lock screen is via the ‘At a Glance’ widget. Since it is technically not a widget but behaves like one, Google might make use of the Smartspace API that powers the feature. While it currently does not support the RemoteView API which widgets are based on, Google seems to be working on integrating it with Smartspace.
However, the tech giant may change things down the line, so we will have to wait and see if Android 15 brings back lock screen widgets.