Skip to main content

Have Android 14? Here’s how to easily customize your lock screen

i refuse to buy google pixel 8 pro googles fault why under embargo until wednesday  october 11 at 10 00 am pt 1 pm et
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Smartphone users unlock their phones, on average, an incredible 150 times a day. That means you're going to see your lock screen an awful lot, so it should absolutely be something you like looking at. Even if you're only seeing it for a few seconds while you press your finger to the screen or wait for your face to be scanned, those seconds add up, so why not look at something that makes you smile?

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

It's quick and easy to make changes to your Android smartphone's lock screen, and you can change a number of different elements of it — from the background image to the clock style and font. You can even change exactly what shows up on there, so you can keep private information private. Here's how to customize your lock screen in Android 14.

The Lock Screen on the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

How to open the lock screen customization menu

Opening your lock screen customization menu is easy, and you don't need to go much further than your lock screen itself.

Step 1: Open your phone and long-press on the display. Select Customize lock screen when it appears at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2: If not automatically unlocked through facial recognition, you'll now need to unlock your phone.

Step 3: You'll find yourself in your customization menu now.

Someone holding the Google Pixel 8 Pro, showing its lock screen.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

How to change your lock screen's wallpaper, clock style, and more

Now you're in your customization menu, you'll need to know how to use it to change your lock screen.

We'll start with the clock options.

Step 1: From the menu, swipe left and right on the small version of your lock screen to swap between clock layouts.

Step 2: Select Clock color and size to change the color and size of your chosen clock face. For the size, you can only pick between Small, which puts the clock in the top-left corner, or Dynamic, which changes the clock size to match your lock screen's content.

Step 3: You can also change the clock color to match the color theme of your device from the main customization menu.

Step 4: Below this, you can choose a wallpaper. Select More wallpapers to find more options.

Step 5: Now, you can change the two app shortcuts in the bottom corners of your lock screen by choosing Shortcuts. Select Left shortcut and Right shortcut and select the apps or functions you want in both of those areas.

Step 6: Show notifications on the lock screen is the box you need to untick if you don't want any notifications on your lock screen.

Screenshots of Android 14's lock screen customization options.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

How to change even more lock screen options

That's not all, either. You can go even deeper, changing whether device controls show, whether Now Playing identifies nearby songs, whether the screen wakes up when you get new notifications, and more.

Step 1: To access these options, select More lock screen options.

Step 2: There are too many options here to dive into in any depth, but some interesting options you may want to explore are the Privacy options, which can let you screen out notifications from sensitive apps, and whether you want the lock screen to Always show time and info — as turning this off can help to save battery life.

Mark Jansen
Mobile Evergreen Editor
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
How to find your lost phone (tips for iPhone and Android)
The Motorola Edge Plus 2023 lying next to the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro.

Not knowing how to find your smartphone can cause a real panic when the need arises. It likely has way too much information about you, has access to your bank details and stock portfolio, and can grant access into pretty much any personal sphere of your life. Plus, you're likely addicted to your smartphone in ways that no device has ever addicted humankind before. In short, if you've lost your phone, you may start to panic.

Read more
How to use iMessage on an Android phone or tablet
iMessage on an iPhone 14 Pro Max, plus iMessage on an Android phone using the Beeper app.

One of the big draws of iPhone and Mac is the iMessage software. This texting app makes it easy to stay connected to friends and family, and many users point to it as a key reason they stay within the Apple ecosystem – venture off to Android, and you'll be stuck with third-party apps or standard text chats.

However, that's not actually the case anymore. While Apple's iMessage software is exclusive to iOS and you won't find it in the Google Play Store, a new app called Beeper lets you access the iMessage platform. The universal chat app works with a variety of texting software beyond iMessage, making it a one-stop-shop for all your communication needs.

Read more
How to add a different home screen wallpaper on iOS 17
An iPhone with iOS 16, showing the new Lock Screen.

If you haven't used an iPhone in a while, or if you haven't tried to update your lock screen, they you might be happy to learn about some of the new customization features that are available in iOS 17. Although iOS has made some controversial changes to its UI, such as moving the notifications to the bottom of the lock screen, they are also more welcome changes to the customization options for the lock screen.

Introduced in iOS 16 was a slew of lock screen customization features to let you tweak your phone's lock screen to your liking, and these same features are available in iOS 17 as well. While the lock screen used to be just a static image, you can now make it more dynamic with options like cycling through collections of your photos, so you can show off your favorite photos of your pets, your family, or beautiful locations that you've visited.

Read more