It was in iOS 14 that Apple introduced widgets to iPhones, allowing users to access shortcuts to their favorite apps right from the Home Screen. With iOS 16, widgets are not just a feature of your iPhone’s Home Screen, but you can also add them to the Lock Screen for instant access to weather, battery status, and other information.

But does iOS 16 let you interact with these widgets on your lock screen, and if so, how? We’ll explain in this post.

Widgets in iOS 16 are always visible because they can be added directly to your phone’s lock screen, so you don’t have to unlock your iPhone to glance at information that’s relevant to you. As convenient as it is to check this info, widgets you add to your lock screen aren’t all that interactive. In fact, they’re just as interactive as widgets you add to your home screen, because tapping on them opens the corresponding apps on your iPhone after you unlock it.

Although only minimally interactive, Lock Screen widgets can be useful for people who have a habit of unlocking their iPhone frequently to check something. For such users, these widgets should help reduce their screen time and prevent them from procrastinating.