Lock screen shortcuts are extremely useful on Android. Which one do you use?

You probably don’t think about your lock screen too often. For the average phone user, it’s just a barrier between you and your smartphone, a way to check the time or quickly check notifications before getting to the phone real Action (you know, another Balatro run). But these days, your lock screen can be so much more. From weather forecasts and calendar appointments to music controls and, of course, cute photos of your pets, your lock screen is an absolutely essential part of your smartphone.

Nowhere is this more true than with lock screen shortcuts. These days, virtually every smartphone has some sort of lock screen shortcut, usually at the bottom left and bottom right of the display. Google was too late and just added (or actually: Re-Adding customizable shortcuts to the Pixel experience with Android 13 as this was available in older software builds. Even then, the lack of custom app support on Pixel, up to and including Android 15, is one of the most frustrating aspects of Google’s current operating system layout.

I’m getting ahead of myself. These days, virtually every smartphone you buy — right up to the iPhone 16 — lets you pin a few actionable shortcuts to your lock screen. For example, on my Pixel 9 Pro I set it so that the camera opens on the left and Google Home on the right. On the iPhone 16 Pro Max I recently tested, I set them to activate Shazam’s built-in song finder and, in turn, Google Home. Basically, all of these options make your phone a lot more manageable than it would otherwise be, without having to dive deep into a real app.

(Editor’s note: Honestly, my Pixel’s camera shortcut is a placeholder because since setting up the volume button shortcuts for my flashlight, I really don’t know what to put on the left side, but I don’t want it to be blank either. Again: Google, when will the third app be supported?)

Samsung, OnePlus and Motorola all also support lock screen shortcuts, each with their own individual nuances and quirks. Sometimes you activate it with a long press, sometimes you swipe the icon to perform your action. In any case, you usually perform one of the popular keyboard shortcuts, such as: B. turning on your flashlight or switching to Do Not Disturb mode. I find these tools far more useful than, say, lock screen widgets, because they make every phone in my pocket feel more like a tool than a screen.

So, I’m curious. What lock screen keyboard shortcuts do you use on your Android device? I set up this week’s poll with some general options, like camera, flashlight, and smart home controls. I have also included the use of third party apps for platforms that allow this (Google, Come oneven Apple allows it now), as well as the option to leave a comment below if you’d like to elaborate on your thoughts. And hey, if you’ve decided to forego the lock screen toggle, I’d love to hear why too.