If you have been using iOS long enough, you might remember a brief moment during Apple’s iOS 14 reveal when Twitter widgets appeared on screen. That was back in 2020, when Home Screen widgets were brand new and every major app was racing to show support.
Twitter never followed through.
Fast forward more than five years, several rebrands later, and X has finally caught up. The latest version of X for iOS now includes widget support for both the Home Screen and the Lock Screen on iPhone and iPad.
No fanfare. No big announcement. Just a long overdue feature quietly sliding into the app.
Home Screen Widgets Arrive, But Keep it Simple
On the Home Screen, X is starting small. There is just one widget option available, called X News Highlights.
The widget surfaces trending headlines from the Explore section, giving you a quick glance at what is gaining traction on the platform. Tapping any headline jumps directly into the topic inside the X app.
X News Highlights supports three widget sizes, allowing it to fit neatly into most Home Screen layouts. Functionally, it is more of a headline ticker than a dynamic feed, but it makes sense as a low maintenance way to stay plugged into trending conversations.
Lock Screen Widgets Offer More Variety
The Lock Screen is where X becomes more flexible. Users can now add widgets that display:
- Notification counts
- Unread X Chat messages
- Quick access to Grok chat
- A shortcut to Grok voice
Each of these widgets is available in both compact and expanded variants, making them easy to slot alongside other Lock Screen complications.
The inclusion of Grok shortcuts is notable. It suggests X is positioning its AI assistant as a first class feature, not just something buried inside the app.
Better Late Than Never
It is hard to ignore how long this took. Widgets have been a core part of iOS since 2020, and most major social apps adopted them years ago. That said, X adding widget support now still feels meaningful, especially with Lock Screen integration and AI shortcuts baked in from day one.
If nothing else, it is a reminder that even basic platform features can take years to arrive when priorities shift. But for iPhone users who rely on X daily, this update finally makes the app feel a little more at home on iOS.
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