Now that I’m running iOS 10 the lock screen information has changed a lot. More info. Cool, but can I get rid of some that I don’t want, and add other info that I do to the iOS10 lock screen?
Congrats on upgrading to Apple’s latest, iOS 10. We’ve been running it for a bit now and there’s a lot to like in this new version, including a subtly different interface and user experience. One of the places where that’s most noticeable is when your device is locked. One feature to like: Raise to Wake. It’s what now has your screen turn on while locked when you touch it, rather than having to push the home button to wake it up (and thereby typically unlock it before being able to peruse your notifications).
While it may seem that the different blocks of information (Apple calls them widgets) shown on the notifications lock screen is set, you can indeed change not just what sections are shown, but you can add additional ones from specific apps and other iOS features and even change what order they show up.
Let’s jump in and tweak it!
To start, here’s my default lock screen on my iPhone:
You can see that the sequence is Up Next, App Suggestions and News. Each has the ability to enlarge or shrink through the “Show More” or “Show Less” fields.
Swipe down, however…
Ah, there ya go. Notice that there are 18 New Widgets Available (the blocks of information are called widgets in Apple-speak) and that there’s a big Edit button. Tap on it.
You will need to verify your identity (don’t want strangers editing your lock screen widgets, do you?), then you get here:
The color coding is slightly confusing, but widgets with a red circle adjacent are already on your lock screen, while those with a green circle can be added but aren’t current being displayed.
Given how I use my phone, neither “Maps Destinations” or “Reminders” are needed, so I’m going to remove them both. On each, I simply tap on the red circle adjacent, then a “Remove” button appears:
A tap on “Remove” and it’s gone.
Let’s add some new ones too! Swipe down so you can see all the widgets available (note that a small number of iOS apps make associated lock screen widgets available, so your list will vary).
Here’s just a subset:
To add a widget is a breeze: Just tap on the green circle adjacent and it moves up to the top list and will be shown on your lock screen. Easy.
You can also change the order of your widgets by tapping and dragging on the three-horizontal-line buttons to the right. You can see that I’ve “picked up” the Batteries widget to move it down:
Once you’re done adding, removing and reordering your widgets, simply tap on Done on the top right and the new configuration will be set and you’ll be able to see it in action. Like this:
Compare that to the first screen capture and you’ll see how I’ve rearranged the widgets to meet my own needs. You now know how to do the same. Have fun!