Elon Musk: Elon Musk-owned social media platform ‘X’ has rolled out long-awaited widgets for iPhone and iPad users, allowing quicker access to news, notifications, messages, and AI features directly from the Home Screen and Lock Screen. The update marks a significant step in expanding X’s iOS experience, years after the feature was first teased but never released.
Interestingly, a Home Screen widget for Twitter was briefly showcased during Apple’s WWDC 2020 preview of iOS 14, but it never made its way to users. Since then, the platform has undergone sweeping changes, from leadership transitions to Elon Musk’s takeover, the rebranding of Twitter to X, and the deep integration of artificial intelligence tools such as Grok.
X Widgets For iOS: What’s Available
With the latest update, X is starting small on the Home Screen. The app currently offers a single widget called “X News Highlights”, which displays headlines on trending topics from the platform. Tapping on a headline redirects users to the X app for the full story. The widget is available in small, medium, and large sizes, making it adaptable to different Home Screen layouts.
Lock Screen Widgets Offer More Options
The Lock Screen widgets are more diverse. Users can choose from X Notifications, which shows the number of unread alerts, and X Messages, which displays pending messages in X’s chat feature. X has also added dedicated widgets for Grok AI, including one that opens a direct chat with the chatbot and another that enables voice-based interaction. These widgets are available in both compact and expanded formats.
Notifications Revamp In The Works
In addition to widgets, X appears to be working on a redesigned notifications page for iOS. Screenshots shared by users suggest a more visual layout. However, X’s head of product Nikita Bier clarified that the redesign is still under development, indicating that a refreshed notifications experience may roll out in a future update.
