Android 16 is due to release in June this year and its first quarterly update will include lock screen widgets. Expected in late summer, the update will bring the lock screen widgets already available on Pixel Tablets to other tablets and Android 16 phones.
Support for the lock screen will be turned on for all widgets by default, though there will be a disable option for developers. This means you’ll be able to display important information front and center on your lock screen. If you click a widget that opens an app, you’ll need to unlock your phone before it completes its action but this will still be a lot faster than opening your phone and finding the app manually.
The announcement was posted to the Android Developers Blog, and Android Authority managed to activate the feature early and have a look. Unlike Pixel Tablets, phones will display just one column of widgets at a time and the widget screen will be accessed by triggering the screensaver. Google notes, however, that the trigger method will be customizable by hardware manufacturers so we should see some variations once the feature is out.
Since the feature is still a few months out, it could change between now and then but Android Authority’s video shows that it is already in a working state. Lock screen widgets are available in various forms across different operating systems and devices but many have problems with refreshing and encounter plenty of bugs. By supporting the lock screen feature by default, Google will hopefully encourage plenty of users to take advantage and plenty of developers to create better, higher-quality widgets.
Apple has just launched its latest iPad mini with a notable set of upgrades, including an OLED screen, improved speakers, and a more resilient build. It also gets a new chip, and the whole package costs $200 more than its predecessor. But if you look closely at Apple’s online store, you’ll realize that $699 isn’t enough to get you the most powerful version of the A20 Pro chip inside this tablet. In fact, even if you pay $800 for the 256GB model, you still won’t get the beefiest variant. Only when you jump to the 512GB trim, which costs an absurd $999, do you get the most powerful flavor of the A20 Pro.
The $999 model gets more than extra storage
Ahead of its October 28 “Pro and Tell” event, Apple has refreshed the iPad mini with an OLED display (the first for the mini line), the company’s latest in-house, Pro-grade chipset, and something else that made me read twice: an Acoustic Display design.
The iPad mini (8th generation) starts at $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 for cellular variants. Pre-orders start October 28, 2026, and general sales begin November 6, 2026.
Apple has sent out invites for an event on October 28 in Los Angeles, and if the rumor mill is right, it's going to be a big one for Mac fans.
The MacBook Pro could get its biggest overhaul in years