Posted by Tyler Beneke – Product Supervisor, and Lucas Silva – Software program Engineer
Widgets at the moment are accessible in your Pixel Pill lock screens! Lock display screen widgets empower customers to create a personalised, always-on expertise. Whether or not you need to simply handle sensible residence gadgets like lights and thermostats, or construct dashboards for fast entry and management of important info, this weblog publish will reply your key questions on lock display screen widgets on Android. Learn on to find when, the place, how, and why they’re going to be on a lock display screen close to you.
Q: When will lock display screen widgets be accessible?
A: Lock display screen widgets will probably be accessible in AOSP for tablets and cellular beginning with the discharge after Android 16 (QPR1). This replace is scheduled to be pushed to AOSP in late Summer time 2025. Lock display screen widgets are already accessible on Pixel Tablets.
Q: Are there any particular necessities for widgets to be allowed on the lock display screen?
A: No, widgets allowed on the lock display screen have the identical necessities as every other widgets. Widgets on the lock display screen ought to observe the identical high quality tips as residence display screen widgets together with high quality, sizing, and configuration. If a widget launches an exercise from the lock display screen, customers should authenticate to launch the exercise, or the exercise ought to declare android:showWhenLocked=”true” in its manifest entry.
Q: How can I take a look at my widget on the lock display screen?
A: At the moment, lock display screen widgets might be examined on Pixel Pill gadgets. You may allow lock display screen widgets and add your widget.
Q: Which widgets might be displayed on this expertise?
A: All widgets are appropriate with the lock display screen widget expertise. To prioritize person selection and customization, we have made all widgets accessible. For the most effective expertise, please ensure that your widget helps dynamic shade and dynamic resizing. Lock display screen widgets are sized to roughly 4 cells broad by 3 cells tall on the launcher, however actual dimensions differ by machine.
Q: Can my widget opt-out of the expertise?
A:Essential: Apps can select to limit the usage of their widgets on the lock display screen utilizing an opt-out API. To opt-out, use the widget class “not_keyguard” in your appwidget information xml file. Place this file in an xml-36 useful resource folder to make sure backwards compatibility.
Q: Are there any CDD necessities particularly for lock display screen widgets?
A: No, there aren’t any particular CDD necessities solely for lock display screen widgets. Nevertheless, it is essential to make sure that any widgets and screensavers that combine with the framework adhere to the usual CDD necessities for these options.
Q: Will lock display screen widgets be enabled on current gadgets?
A: Sure, lock display screen widgets have been launched on the Pixel Pill in 2024 Different machine producers might replace their gadgets as nicely as soon as the characteristic is accessible in AOSP.
Q: Does the machine must be docked to make use of lock display screen widgets?
A: The mechanism that triggers the lock display screen widget expertise is customizable by the OEM. For instance, OEMs can select to make use of charging or docking standing as triggers. Third-party OEMs might want to implement their very own posture detection if desired.
Q: Can OEMs set their very own default widgets?
A: Sure! {Hardware} suppliers can pre-set and mechanically show default widgets.
Q: Can OEMs customise the person interface for lock display screen widgets?
A: Customization of the lock display screen widget person interface by OEMs is just not supported within the preliminary launch. All lock display screen widgets can have the identical developer expertise on all gadgets.
Lock display screen widgets are poised to offer your customers new methods to work together together with your app on their gadgets. At this time you possibly can leverage your current widget designs and experiences on the lock display screen with Pixel Tablets. To be taught extra about constructing widgets, please try our assets on developer.android.com
This weblog publish is a part of our sequence: Highlight Week on Widgets, the place we offer assets—weblog posts, movies, pattern code, and extra—all designed that will help you design and create widgets. You may learn extra within the overview of Highlight Week: Widgets, which will probably be up to date all through the week.
