How to use Google lock screen widgets for iPhone - TechRepublic

2 years ago 68

on October 14, 2022, 3:02 AM PDT

How to usage Google fastener surface widgets for iPhone

Google’s fastener surface widgets not lone marque accusation disposable astatine a glimpse but besides fto you entree hunt with a tap.

A Google Lock Screen with 4 widgets connected an iPhone screen.

In October 2022, Apple made it easier to get accusation astatine a glimpse with 2 important changes. First, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max added enactment for an always-on display, selectable with a setting: Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On, descent to enable. Second, with iOS 16, you whitethorn not lone customize wallpaper and backgrounds but besides adhd a constricted fig of fastener surface widgets: Lift your phone, past interaction and clasp the fastener surface until customization options display.

See: How to customize your Lock Screen successful iOS 16 (TechRepublic)

The fastener surface offers 2 widget areas, with up to 4 customized widgets added beneath the timepiece and 1 customized widget selected supra the clock. To adhd a widget, you archetypal request to person installed the corresponding app. For example, you request the Google Drive app installed successful bid to adhd the Google Drive widget. Additionally, you whitethorn request to motion successful with an relationship earlier a widget volition work. For example, you request to motion successful with a Google relationship to the Gmail app earlier a widget tin show the fig of caller emails received.

The pursuing are a fewer of the astir utile fastener surface widgets disposable from Google successful mid-October 2022.

Gmail fastener surface widgets connected iOS

You whitethorn take from 3 antithetic Gmail widgets, 2 that show beneath the timepiece (Figure A, left) and 1 disposable supra the timepiece (Figure A, right):

Figure A

The Gmail app connected iPhone offers 3 fastener surface widgets that bespeak the fig of caller messages received.

The circular widget displays the fig of caller unread emails you person received.
The rectangular widget shows the caller email number for 5 antithetic categories: Inbox, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums.
Alternatively, if you pat supra the timepiece indicator, you whitethorn adhd an inline indicator that displays the fig of caller emails received.

Google Drive fastener surface widgets connected iOS

The 3 Google Drive fastener surface widgets connection varying degrees of data:

The rectangular widget offers suggested files, with the circumstantial point recommended based connected your actions (Figure B, left).
The circular hunt widget (Figure B, middle), erstwhile tapped, opens the Google Drive app and places your cursor successful a Google Drive hunt box, acceptable for your input.
The circular starred widget (Figure B, right), erstwhile tapped, opens the Google Drive app and displays each starred Drive items.

Figure B

The Google Drive app connected iPhone offers fastener surface widgets for accelerated entree to suggested files, hunt and starred items.

Google hunt fastener surface widgets connected iOS

Lock surface options for the Google hunt app connected iPhone present one-tap entree to:

Search (Figure C, left) for modular text-based keyword search;
Voice hunt (Figure C, mediate left) for dependable input of a search;
Lens (Figure C, mediate right) for camera oregon representation based search; and
Lens Shortcuts (Figure C, right) for customizable entree to 3 selectable Lens features.

Figure C

Google app fastener surface widgets fto you hunt with keywords, with your voice, oregon with your camera oregon an image.

While successful the Customize screen, aft you prime and adhd the Lens Shortcuts widgets, you whitethorn again pat straight connected the added widget, past take whether the widget volition supply entree to Google Lens translate, buying oregon lick homework features. For example, if you acceptable construe arsenic the default, erstwhile you pat the widget it volition unfastened the Google App automatically and activate the camera, truthful you whitethorn constituent your camera astatine substance to construe into your selected language.

Figure D

Chrome fastener surface widgets connected iOS

The Chrome browser, interestingly, includes 2 fastener surface widgets that fundamentally duplicate functions disposable successful the Google hunt app: Search (Figure E, left) and Voice Search (Figure E, mediate right). The different utile fastener surface widget disposable is entree to Incognito Search (Figure E, mediate left). Unlike the Google app widgets, which expressly trust connected Google search, these Chrome widgets link to your configured hunt engine, which connected iOS whitethorn beryllium adjusted successful the Chrome app settings to beryllium Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo oregon Ecosia.

Should you person an urgent request for one-tap fastener surface entree to the Chrome Dino Game, past that’s disposable besides (Figure E, right). As of mid-October 2022, however, there’s nary Reading List widget disposable for radical who similar to work saved articles—rather than play a game—to walk the time.

Figure E

Chrome fastener surface offerings see Search and Voice Search widgets arsenic good arsenic an Incognito Search widget. Access to the Chrome Dino Game is besides disposable via a fastener surface widget.

Google Calendar fastener surface widget connected iOS

While the Google Calendar app lacks a fastener surface widget, arsenic of mid-October 2022, Apple offers 3 antithetic fastener surface widget options: One circular widget, 1 rectangular widget (Figure F, left) and 1 inline widget that displays supra the timepiece (Figure F, right).

Figure F

To show upcoming Google Calendar events, link your Google Calendar to the built-in Apple Calendar, past prime from 3 fastener surface calendar widgets.

So, to presumption upcoming Google Calendar events, link your Google Calendar to the built-in Apple Calendar. Navigate to Settings > Calendar > Accounts > Add Account > Google, and participate your Google relationship details. Then, prime a Calendar widget. The circular widget displays the slightest magnitude of information, arsenic it lone shows the clip of an upcoming event, portion the different 2 show astatine slightest a information of the lawsuit name.

What’s your experience?

If you person an iPhone exemplary that offers the always-on display, bash you find it to beryllium useful? What fastener surface widgets person you chosen to add? Have you filled each disposable widget spaces connected your phone? Or bash you not privation oregon request an always-on telephone screen? Which of the Google widgets bash you similar the most? Are determination different widgets that you highly recommend? Mention oregon connection maine connected Twitter (@awolber) to fto maine cognize however you usage fastener surface widgets connected iPhone.