Spotify is (finally) adding a lock screen widget for iOS 16 that can display recently played artists, playlists, albums, or podcasts.
Spotify is a little late to the game but still beats Apple Music which is yet to release a lock screen widget for its app.
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The new version of Spotify for iPhone now supports iOS 16 lock screen widgets. It can display anything from recently played artists, playlists, albums, podcasts, and even album art, right on your home screen.
The new feature is available after the version 8.8.26 update, joining other features Spotify supports in iOS, like Now Playing, so iPhone listeners can have quick access to music controls. Setting one up is very easy:
- Turn your iPhone screen on and make sure you have unlocked it with Face ID or a passcode first. When you see your Lock Screen, touch and hold your finger on the screen until the Customize button appears, then tap the Customize button.
- Tap and select Lock Screen.
- Tap Add Widgets (if you’ve already added widgets, tap on the box area underneath the time).
- Scroll through the list and tap on Spotify or drag it to add it to the Lock Screen.
- When you’re finished, tap on the (X) Close button at the top right of the list, then tap Done in the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap on your finished Lock Screen to exit.
Note that the Spotify widget takes one unit of space on your lock screen and you can only have a maximum of four. So you might have to remove one you already use in order to add the Spotify one.
Support for lock screen widgets rolled out with iOS 16’s release last fall as a way to put information directly on the phone’s screen as either round or rectangular widgets below the date and time or as a line of text just above it. A number of developers both large and small were quick to jump on board with Lock Screen widgets, including major tech companies like Google (including YouTube), Facebook, Snap.