The iPhone operating system, iOS, has evolved a lot since 2007 and one of the most notable innovations in its day was the incorporation of widgets. These can be used to obtain quick shortcuts for various functions or apps, but also to obtain useful information such as calendars. In this post we tell you how you can access the view of these widgets from the locked screen.
Where are the widgets on the iPhone?
If you have ever used the Android operating system, you will have verified that there are a series of small icons that serve to have some type of functionality or information in view. These can be placed on any screen natively, however in iOS we find subtle differences. Apple created a specific screen for these on the last screen on the left of the iPhone. Also known as the Today tab, in this we can add similar functions to those mentioned for the Google system, but with a list format in which we can only add, remove or vary the order of these.
Types of iOS widgets
By default, taking into account the native applications that an iPhone has, we can find different widgets. Third-party apps also have the possibility of including them, either to give information, add shortcuts to app functions or others. These are some of the most prominent native widgets:
- Shortcuts: we can have a keypad with the different shortcuts that we have created, just having to press them to activate them.
- Activity: view of the evolution of the physical activity rings of the Apple Watch.
- Files – Direct access to the latest iCloud files.
- Battery: If you have Apple Watch, AirPods and other Apple accessories that work linked via Bluetooth to the iPhone, you can see its battery level.
- Favorites: possibility to directly call any of the contacts saved as favorites.
- Coming soon: overview of the closest calendar events on your agenda.
These are not all available, since as we say we can have more natives and third parties. Sometimes it is even more convenient to access these than having to enter the applications to carry out certain actions.
Access to widgets on locked screen
The most common way to access widgets is, as we have already indicated, from the first screen on the left of the iPhone. However, it is also accessible by sliding the notification screen to the left. This screen is also visible with the iPhone locked, but not the widgets, which may be hidden. To check this go to Settings> Face ID / Touch ID and code and check if the option “View Today” is checked .
If this option is checked, you can access the widgets by swiping left on the locked screen. Although access to apps and other shortcuts may require unlocking the iPhone. However, if the option is deactivated you will have to enter the security code or unblock using Face ID or Touch ID.
