How to Put a Countdown Widget on Your iPhone Lock Screen

On iOS 16 or later, long-press your Lock Screen, tap Customize, select the widget area under the clock, and add a countdown widget from an app like Soonish. Your trip countdown then appears every time you raise your phone — hundreds of little hits of anticipation a day.

What you need

Lock Screen widgets are newer than Home Screen widgets, and the requirement is stricter: you need iOS 16 or later. That's the one genuine version gate in this whole process — the Soonish app itself only needs iOS 15.1 or later to run, but Apple didn't open up the Lock Screen to widgets until iOS 16, so an older phone that runs the app fine still won't offer this option.

If you're not sure which iOS version you're running, check Settings → General → About and look at the "Software Version" line. Anything showing "16" or higher means you're set. If you're behind that, Settings → General → Software Update will offer the upgrade — most iPhones from the last several years are eligible.

The other requirement is the same one every widget needs: a countdown app with a trip already created in it. A widget doesn't generate anything on its own — it just displays a live view into data that already exists. Open Soonish, add your destination and travel date, and the widget has something to show the moment you place it.

Add a countdown to your Lock Screen

1. 1

   Create your countdown first

   Download Soonish free and add your trip with its travel date — the Lock Screen widget displays whatever trip you choose.

2. 2

   Long-press your Lock Screen

   With your iPhone unlocked (Face ID passed), press and hold the Lock Screen until the customize view appears.

3. 3

   Tap Customize, then choose Lock Screen

   You'll see frames around the clock and the widget area beneath it.

4. 4

   Tap the widget area and add a countdown widget

   Search for Soonish, pick a widget style, and tap it to place it under the clock.

5. 5

   Tap Done

   Your trip countdown now shows every single time you raise your phone — no unlocking, no app-opening.

Why the Lock Screen is the best spot for a countdown

The average person checks their phone roughly a hundred times a day, and almost every one of those checks starts with a glance at the Lock Screen — to see the time, a notification, or just because the screen lit up. A countdown living right there means every single one of those raises becomes a small reminder that the trip is getting closer, without you ever unlocking the phone or opening an app.

That's a different kind of anticipation than checking a calendar once in the morning. It's ambient — the number is just there, next to the time, every time you look. Pair it with a matching wallpaper theme (Soonish includes more than 20 to choose from) and your Lock Screen starts to feel less like a utility screen and more like a preview of the trip itself, waiting for you dozens of times a day.

It's also a lower-commitment spot than the Home Screen for some people. If your Home Screen is already packed with app icons and folders, the Lock Screen widget area gives you a dedicated place for the countdown that doesn't compete with anything else for space.

Troubleshooting

If Soonish isn't listed when you tap the widget area, open the app at least once and make sure you've created a trip — the widget gallery only shows apps that have something ready to display, and a countdown app with no trip yet won't have anything to offer.

If the countdown looks like it's not updating, don't worry — widgets refresh on a schedule the system manages, not instantly on every screen wake. Give it a minute; the day count will catch up on its own the next time iOS refreshes it. It's normal for the number to lag by a few minutes right after you change the date of a trip, since the widget is waiting for its next scheduled refresh rather than updating live.

And if you ever want the widget gone, the removal works the same way it does anywhere else on iOS: long-press the Lock Screen, tap Customize, tap the widget, and choose Remove Widget. Nothing about removing a Lock Screen widget affects your trips inside the app — it only takes the shortcut off the screen.