MySaviorGuide · iOS 18 and iOS 26
How to add a widget to your iPhone Lock Screen
To add a widget to your iPhone Lock Screen, touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, then tap the space under the time (or the date above it) and choose a widget. Tap Done to save.
This guide gives the exact steps for iOS 18 and iOS 26 with MySavior’s Christian widgets as the example: a feast countdown, Saint of the Day, faith encouragements and 17 Christian symbols.
Illustration · countdown as of October 8, 2026
Step by step
Add a widget to the Lock Screen
Before you start: install MySavior from the App Store and open it once, so that iOS lists its widgets. You need an iPhone with iOS 18.6 or later.
- Go to the Lock Screen
Press the side button twice: once to turn the screen off, once to wake it. If the screen is already off, one press is enough.
- Touch and hold the Lock Screen
Keep your finger on an empty area until Customize appears at the bottom. If it doesn’t, touch and hold again, then enter your passcode.
- Tap Customize
First swipe to the Lock Screen you want to change. On iOS 18, then tap Lock Screen (the preview on the left). On iOS 26, Customize opens the Lock Screen editor directly.
- Open the widget area
Tap the box below the time, which may read Add Widgets, for round and rectangular widgets. For a one-line widget, tap the date above the time instead.
- Choose MySavior
Scroll the list of apps and tap MySavior to see its Lock Screen widgets.
- Add a widget
Tap the widget you want, or drag it into the row. The row holds four circular widgets, two rectangular ones, or one rectangular and two circular.
- Set its options
Tap a placed widget to change its settings, such as the Event of the Christian Countdown. To take a widget away, tap the minus sign on it.
- Tap Done
Close the widget panel, then tap Done. If you created a new Lock Screen, tap Add, then choose Set as Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen.
Steps checked against Apple’s iPhone User Guide, Create a custom iPhone Lock Screen (iOS 18) and the same page for iOS 26, on October 8, 2026. Apple’s guide for iOS 27 gives the same steps as iOS 26.
Illustration · Saint of the Day for October 8, 2026; countdown as of October 8, 2026
Where widgets go
- Above the time: the date line takes one widget in a single line, here the Saint of the Day.
- Below the time: a row of circular and rectangular widgets, here an encouragement, a countdown to Advent and Cross Classic.
iOS versions
iOS 18 and iOS 26: what’s different
The way in is the same on both versions; iOS 26 skips one tap when you open the editor. iOS 26 also lets you make the clock taller, which can move the widget row lower on the screen, but you add widgets to it the same way.
| Step | iOS 18 | iOS 26 |
|---|---|---|
| Open the editor | Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, then tap Lock Screen | Touch and hold the Lock Screen, then tap Customize |
| Make a new Lock Screen | Tap the + button, then pick a wallpaper | Tap the + button, then pick a wallpaper |
| Add widgets | Tap Add Widgets, the date, or the field below the time | Tap your existing widgets or Add Widgets; the date takes a one-line widget |
| The clock | Tap the time to change its font and color | Tap the time to change its font; drag its corner to make it taller |
| Finish | Tap Add or Done | Tap Add or Done |
MySavior on the Lock Screen
Which MySavior widgets you can add
MySavior has 21 Lock Screen widgets. In the list of apps, they appear under MySavior with these names:
| Widget (name in the gallery) | Sizes | Settings |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Countdown | Rectangular, circular, inline | Event: Auto, the nearest of the feasts switched on in the app (the 16 major ones by default), or one of the 30 feasts. Changes at midnight. |
| Saint of the Day | Rectangular, inline | None. Changes at midnight. |
| Variant 1 and Variant 2 | Rectangular, inline | None in the editor. How often they change (24, 12, 6 or 1 times a day, 24 by default) is set in the app’s Widget Studio. |
| 17 Christian symbols | Circular, rectangular | None: one symbol per widget, such as Chi Rho or Orthodox Cross. |
Tap the Christian Countdown in the editor to set its Event: Auto — nearest feast follows the feasts switched on under Manage feasts in the app, or pin one feast. For what each widget shows, with pictures, see Christian Lock Screen widgets.
Bible verses
Adding a Bible verse to your Lock Screen
Lock Screen widgets are small, so MySavior keeps its Bible Verse widget on the Home Screen, in small and medium sizes (see how to add a Home Screen widget); its Lock Screen text widgets carry short encouragements instead, such as “I rest in God’s care today.” To keep a whole verse in view, make it your wallpaper with MySavior’s wallpaper maker, choose the saved image in Settings, then add widgets on top.
Troubleshooting
If something doesn’t work
MySavior isn’t in the list of apps
Open MySavior once after installing or updating it, then go back to the widget panel. If it is still missing, restart your iPhone, and check in Settings > General > About that your iPhone runs iOS 18.6 or later.
Customize doesn’t appear
Your iPhone has to recognize you first. Touch and hold the Lock Screen again, then enter your passcode.
The widget doesn’t fit
The row below the time is full. Tap the minus sign on a widget to remove it, or choose the circular size, which takes half the space of a rectangular one. One-line widgets only go in the date above the time.
The countdown shows a different feast
It is set to Auto, which follows the nearest feast among those switched on in the app. Customize the Lock Screen, tap the countdown and pick one feast as its Event.
Still stuck? See MySavior support, or browse all MySavior widgets.
Questions and answers
How do I add a Bible verse to my iPhone Lock Screen?
Make it your wallpaper: in MySavior's wallpaper maker, type the verse or pick one from the app, save the image to Photos, then choose it in Settings > Wallpaper. MySavior's Bible Verse widget is a Home Screen widget (small and medium); on the Lock Screen it offers short faith encouragements, a feast countdown, Saint of the Day and 17 Christian symbols.
How many widgets fit on the iPhone Lock Screen?
One widget in the date line above the time, plus a row below the time with room for four circular widgets, two rectangular ones, or one rectangular and two circular.
Why don’t I see MySavior when I add a widget?
Open MySavior once after installing or updating it, then try again: iOS sometimes lists an app's widgets only after the app has been opened. If it still isn't there, restart your iPhone and check that it runs iOS 18.6 or later.
Are the steps different on iOS 26?
Only a little. On iOS 18 you tap Customize, then Lock Screen; on iOS 26, Customize takes you straight to the Lock Screen editor, where you tap your widgets or Add Widgets. On both, one-line widgets go in the date above the time.
Do MySavior’s Lock Screen widgets change by themselves?
The encouragement widgets do: 24 times a day by default, and you can choose 24, 12, 6 or 1 a day in the app. The Christian Countdown and Saint of the Day update at midnight, and the symbol widgets never change.
Christian widgets for your Lock Screen
MySavior for iPhone with iOS 18.6 or later: a feast countdown, Saint of the Day, faith encouragements and 17 Christian symbols for the Lock Screen.