Spotify gets iPhone lock screen widget – but still lacks useful functionality

Today, Spotify has announced the introduction of a lock screen widget for the iOS16 software on the iPhone. The announcement comes later than a lot of apps, which jumped on board earlier in the lifecycle of the operating system.

It marks quite a significant moment. As reported by CNN back in November, Spotify and Apple have been locked in a heated back-and-forth over the 30% tax Apple places on in-app purchases. Spotify claimed that Apple's practices were unfair; Apple said that Spotify broke the App Store rules... nothing really changed.

So, should we take this announcement as a sign that the two companies have buried the hatchet? It doesn't appear so. While some lock screen widgets are capable of displaying useful information, the Spotify one simply acts as a shortcut button, taking you to the app. 

That might be handy if you leave Spotify buried deep in the fifth menu on your home screen, but for anyone who – like me – has it on the first page, the half a second it saves you is hardly likely to be a deal breaker. It just feels a little redundant – as if Spotify, through gritted teeth, have built the most basic version of a widget they could, just to have something there.

To install the widget, you'll need to be running iOS16. I'm currently running 16.3.1 and it isn't appearing just yet, so you may also need to update to the latest variant.

Once that's sorted, unlock your phone using Face ID and hold down on the lock screen. A 'Customise' button should appear at the bottom of the screen. Tap that, choose 'Lock Screen' and then hit 'Add Widgets' beneath the clock. Once it's available, it should be found in the list of app widgets there.