Gmail, Google News Apps Get Lockscreen Widgets On iOS 16

Apple iOS 16’s new lockscreen is the hottest new feature this year on iPhones, and third party apps are just starting to roll out support with their own flavours. After Chrome and Google Drive got the fabled lockscreen widgets for the latest iOS version, Google has rolled out the iOS 16 lock screen widget for Gmail and Google News. 

Google released version 6.0.220918 of the Gmail app to the Apple App Store which features the “New Unread Messages” lock screen widget. This comes as a means to keep up with the ever increasing mail count and maybe help achieve the dream of having Inbox Zero. 

The Gmail lock screen widget for iOS 16 is available in three sizes:  

1. 1×1 Circle that shows the unread count with the Gmail logo. 
2. 2×1 rectangle to show unread count and a breakdown for chats and spaces. 
3. Top/Single line widget above the time to show unread messages. 

Aside from this, Google also rolled out the lock screen widget for Google News for iOS 16 devices. The widget, much like iPhone maker’s own Apple News, shows the “top news” in your area with the ability to view the latest headlines straight on the lock screen. 

The publication logo features next to the name of the publication, while the headline appears right below it with up to three lines of text. The widget has a 2×1 size. That said, the widget lacks a detailed view like that of Apple News which shows a list of latest headlines from subscribed sources. 

Google seems to be on a mission to support lock screen widgets on the iOS 16 operating system. After Gmail and Google News, it’s likely that support could be enabled for Google Maps with real-time traffic updates and ETA, along with Google Search with quick access to Google Lens and Voice search.