New features available in iOS 16 for Lock Screen

Apple unveils an all-new Lock Screen experience and new ways to share and communicate in iOS 16

Users can personalise their Lock Screen, keep family photos in iCloud Shared Photo Library, recall sent messages, schedule mail, and discover more with Live Text and Visual Look Up

Key Features and Enhancements in iOS 16

Lock Screen

Lock Screen gallery

For inspiration on how to make the Lock Screen your own, browse a gallery of many options, each with a unique backdrop, stylised view of the date and time, and information you can see at a glance.

Lock Screen switching

You can switch your Lock Screen throughout the day. Touch and hold it, and then swipe.

Lock Screen editing

It’s easy to customise the font, colour or placement of elements on your Lock Screen by tapping the element.

Stylised date and time

Expressive font styles and colour choices allow you to customise the look of the date and time on your Lock Screen.

Multilayered photo effect

Photo subjects are dynamically displayed in front of the time to make the subject of the photo pop.¹

Suggested photos

iOS intelligently suggests photos from your library that look great on the Lock Screen.

Photo shuffle

See a set of photos shuffle automatically on your Lock Screen. Set the cadence for how often your Lock Screen updates with a new photo, or let iOS surprise and delight you throughout the day.

Photo styles

Apply styles to photos on the Lock Screen that automatically change the colour filter, tinting and font style to complement each other.

Widgets on the Lock Screen

Choose to display a set of widgets as part of your Lock Screen to glance at information like the weather, time, date, battery levels, upcoming calendar events, alarms, time zones and Activity ring progress.

WidgetKit API

Glance at widgets from your favourite third-party apps. View widgets in a textual, circular or rectangular format near the time to get information like weather conditions or progress on your goals.

Live Activities

Live Activities help you stay on top of things that are happening in real time, right from your Lock Screen.*

Live Activities API

Follow an ongoing sports game or track the progress of your ride or order with just a glance. Glance at Live Activities from your favourite third-party apps with the new developer API.*

Lock Screens made for Focus

iOS suggests a relevant set of Lock Screens for provided Focus options, such as a data-rich Lock Screen while you’re using the Work Focus or a photo Lock Screen while you’re using the Personal Focus.

Apple collections

Choose from a set of dynamic, classic and landscape Lock Screens created especially for iOS 16. Apple collections include Lock Screens to celebrate special cultural moments, like Pride and Unity.

Astronomy

See the earth, moon or solar system with a set of dynamic astronomy-themed Lock Screens that update with live conditions.

Weather

Glance at live conditions on your Lock Screen as the weather changes throughout the day.

Emoji

Create patterned Lock Screens based on your favourite emoji.

Colours

Choose a colour gradient for your Lock Screen using your favourite colour combinations.

New design for Now Playing

With Live Activities, you can expand Now Playing controls to a full-screen view that celebrates album art while you listen along.

New notification design

The use of bold text and images makes notifications visually pop.

Notification animations

Notifications, including your notification summary, now roll in from the bottom of your Lock Screen, making them easy to see at a glance as they come in.

Notification view on Lock Screen

Choose to view notifications on the Lock Screen in an expanded list view, stacked view or count view. You can pinch to change the layout in context.