Instagram Adds a New Lock Screen Widget to Help Post Stories Faster on iPhone

The new Instagram widget opens the Story Camera directly from the lock screen.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 4 March 2024 15:44 IST

Instagram Adds a New Lock Screen Widget to Help Post Stories Faster on iPhone

Instagram’s widget is only available on iOS since Android does not support lock screen widgets

Highlights

The Instagram lock screen widget requires iOS 16 or higher
Users will not be able to use the native camera while using the widget
Instagram is also reportedly working on a Friend Map feature

Instagram, the social media platform, recently added a new feature to its iOS app that will make clicking and posting Stories faster than before. The app now comes with a new lock screen widget that will directly open the Story Camera and allow users to click a picture or shoot a video and post it as a Story. Instagram is reportedly working on multiple new features. An earlier report highlighted that the company is bringing a Friend Map feature, which could be similar to how Snap Map functions.

The new widget was added without much fanfare. There was no formal announcement by the company or any post by Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram. Over the weekend, many users posted about the feature online. Gadgets 360 was also able to confirm the new lock screen widget and its functionality.

The widget, called Story Camera, occupies a 1x1 grid on the lock screen. The widget icon is simply a circle with the plus icon in it. The description says “Open the Instagram Story Camera directly from your Lock Screen,” and it works exactly like that. Once a user adds the widget, they can simply click on it to move to the story camera interface. There, they can either click an image or shoot a video right away and post it, or add an image from their gallery.

Instagram May Soon Let Users Watch Reels on iOS Without Downloading App

One downside of this widget is that users will not be able to use the native camera app on the iPhone, which can capture higher-quality images. However, it is a good option for those who do not fuss over the image quality and want to quickly post a story. The Story camera also allows users to take advantage of the many in-app filters. The feature was rolled out last week and should reach all users globally in the coming days. Users will require iOS 16 or higher as lock screen widgets are not present in the older OS versions.

Recently, a tipster claimed that Instagram is working on a feature that will let users see the last active location of their friends on a map. Tipped to be known as Friend Map, it appears that feature will open up the world map, where the friends of a user could be visible (if they share their location data). Users can also add notes and read notes left by other users.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: Instagram features, Instagram, iOS, iPhone

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More