After years of waiting and mocking from Android users for the lack of widgets, Apple added the feature in iOS 14. And with the launch of iOS 16, you can now also add widgets to the app. ‘lock Screen. While this is a great addition, there are a growing number of complaints and reports of lock screen widgets not showing up on iOS 16.
In this article, we have seven methods to fix missing lock screen widgets on iOS 16. The bug mainly seems to affect third-party app widgets. Therefore, this guide mainly focuses on that. However, why aren’t lock screen widgets showing on iOS 16 in the first place? Let’s understand that.
Point: If widgets are not showing on your home screen, see our explanation to fix missing widgets on your iPhone home screen.
Why Are My Widgets Not Showing on iPhone Lock Screen
It’s only been a few weeks since the launch of iOS 16. While there are many great new features like custom spatial audio, the early iterations are prone to bugs. This is one of the main reasons why widgets are missing on iOS 16 lock screen.
Also, since iOS 16 also lets you add third-party widgets on the lock screen, we can’t entirely blame Apple here. Indeed, some widgets may not yet be optimized by the application developer.
However, as long as there are no issues with the development of the widget, the solutions in the next section should help you fix your iOS 16 lock screen widgets not showing.
How to Fix Widgets Not Appearing on iOS 16 Lock Screen
Following the methods below should resolve the issue. However, if the issue persists, we suggest waiting for an update from Apple as well as the app developer. Now, let’s start by checking your internet connection.
1. Check internet connectivity
Lock screen widgets may need internet access to provide certain information. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are using a good cellular network. So make sure you are using Wi-Fi or mobile data at full strength.
However, if you still don’t seem to have good internet speed, contact your service provider. They can help you with this.
Moreover, you should also check if the depth effect is enabled on your lock screen wallpaper. Wondering what this has to do with the missing lock screen widget on iOS 16? Read the next section to find out.
2. Disable depth effect on wallpaper
The depth effect on iOS 16 lock screen wallpapers is one of our favorite additions. It’s quite unfortunate that you can’t add widgets with the depth effect enabled. Here’s how to make sure you’ve disabled it on your lock screen.
Step 1: Long press on your lock screen and tap Customize.
2nd step: Select Lock screen.
Step 3: Tap the three dots in the lower right corner.
Step 4: If the depth effect is selected, uncheck the option.
This is how you can check if your iPhone is updated to the latest version. Another rudimentary fix for iPhone Lock Screen widget not showing is to re-add the widget.
3. Add the widget
Here’s how you can try re-applying the widget to a new wallpaper and see if it shows up.
Step 1: Long press on the lock screen and select personalize.
2nd step: Select Lock screen.
Step 3: Now tap Add Widgets. Select the app from the list.
Step 4: Now choose the widget you want to add and tap or drag it to add it on your lock screen.
If the issue persists, another patch that has been making the rounds on various community forums attempts to change the default language.
4. Add a new language
If you are facing the issue of lock screen widgets not showing on iOS 16, the widget might not be recognized at all, especially if it involves another language that is not in your preferred language.
However, you don’t need to add a language to your preferred language for your iPhone and its apps to recognize it. So we don’t know exactly how this method solves the problem. But it seems to have worked for some users, so it’s worth a shot.
Step 1: Open the Settings app and select General.
2nd step: Tap “Language & Region”.
Step 3: Tap ‘Add a language…’
Step 4: Select the widget language.
If this method doesn’t work, you can try restarting your iPhone.
5. Restart iPhone
The classic solution to try and fix any problem on your iPhone is to restart it. Well, hope this helps you to fix the lock screen widgets missing issue.
Step 1: First, you need to turn off your device.
- On iPhone X and above Press and hold volume down and side button.
- On iPhone SE 2nd or 3rd generation, series 7 and 8: Press and hold the side button.
- On iPhone SE 1st generation, 5s, 5c or 5: Hold the power button up.
2nd step: Slide the power slider to turn off the device.
Step 3: Next, turn on your device by long pressing the power button on your iPhone.
If that doesn’t work, you can try updating the app that contains the widget.
6. Update the app
Lockscreen widgets are a new addition to third-party apps, and they need time to be properly tested. When bugs and issues are found, third-party developers update the app with a patch. Therefore, it is important that you stay on the latest version of the app.
Step 1: Open the App Store.
2nd step: Find the app you want to update.
Step 3: Check if there is an update for the app. you can tap Update to install the latest version.
If that doesn’t work, you can try reinstalling the app.
7. Reinstall the app
Once you delete and reinstall the app, not only are the app configurations reset, but you also download the latest version of the app. Therefore, it is possible that the bug responsible for messy lock screen widgets on iPhone will be fixed.
Step 1: Long press the app icon on the home screen and tap Delete app.
2nd step: Tap Remove App to uninstall the app.
Step 3: Now open the app store, search for the app and download it again.
7. Check for iOS 16 updates
If the problem persists, check for software updates. Apple releases small incremental updates to fix a few bugs, so it’s possible that this bug will be fixed in a new update.
Step 1: Open the Settings app and select General.
2nd step: Select Software Update.
Step 3: Make sure you are up to date with the latest software version.
Check if the widgets are showing now. This marks the end of all methods to fix lock screen widgets not showing on iOS 16. If the widget is still not showing, the only solution is to wait for updates. app or iOS. If you have any other questions, chances are we have answers in our FAQ section.
iOS 16 Lock Screen Widget FAQ
No, lock screen widgets are only available on devices running iOS 16 (iPhone 8 and later).
No, only a few apps support lock screen widgets on iOS 16.
You can add three small widgets, or two small and one large widget, or two large widgets on the lock screen.
Reload Missing Widgets on iOS 16 Lock Screen
These were all the methods to fix lock screen widgets not showing on iOS 16. Therefore, we hope this helped you to bring them back. However, if none of these methods work, we suggest you wait for the app developer to update the app or wait for a new iOS update on your iPhone.