How to manage Android lock screen

Your Android phone lock screen can be very useful, as it displays notifications and allows you to access certain features without having to unlock your phone first. (Something that might be more useful if you have a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro and are still having issues with the fingerprint sensor.)

Here are some of the ways you can modify your lock screen settings. Tested with Pixel 6 running Android 12; As always, different Android phones can have somewhat different procedures.

Activate lock screen notifications

First, you can choose whether you want to show both alerts and silent notifications, show alerts only, or show no notifications at all.

• Go to your phone’s settings (usually, by scrolling down from the top and tapping the gear icon) and select Notices
• Scroll down and tap Notifications on the lock screen
• Here, you can choose from three different options: Show Conversations (virtual and silent); hide conversations and silent notifications (silent notifications are those that appear without sound or vibration, such as weather or headline); or not showing any notifications at all.

(Again, your exact mileage may vary, depending on your phone manufacturer and the Android version you’re using.)

You can also choose to show or not show sensitive information on your lock screen by turning Sensitive Notifications on or off. If toggled off, you’ll only see the app the notification is coming from instead of the notification itself – for example, you’ll see ‘one new message’ instead of any information about the message.

Choose which apps appear on your lock screen

The apps that appear on your lock screen are the same apps that are allowed to send you notifications. You can choose those.

• Go to your phone settings
• He chooses Notices > App Settings
• You will see a list of your applications; You can sort them in alphabetical order, in the most recent or most popular order; You can also list the apps that have been turned off. Use the toggle to the right of each app’s name to turn notifications on or off completely. If you tap on the name of the app, you can manage more specific types of notifications for that app.

Get personal information on your lock screen

While you can choose to only receive general notifications on the lock screen, such as news headlines or the weather, you can also get more personal notifications of emails, reminders, flight reservations, and other items.

• While your phone is on, ask the Google Assistant to open the Assistant settings. You can also find it by going to Settings > apps > Assistant > See all assistant settings > personal results.
• In the your phone tab, make sure PERSONAL RESULTS (which allows the assistant to access your email, calendar, etc.) turned on. You can then switch Personalized suggestions on the lock screen before you ask.

Use the Google Assistant on the lock screen

The Google Assistant can answer questions and follow directions from the lock screen if it is set to do so. It can be a little annoying if you accidentally turn it on so that it starts talking unexpectedly. Here’s how to activate or turn off the Google Assistant to work from the lock screen.

• Refer to the Settings > apps > Assistant > See all assistant settings But this time select lock screen
• Switch between helper responses on the lock screen. Now when you say “Hey Google”, your phone will respond. If you want to activate the Google Assistant from the lock screen without saying anything (for example, by simply tapping on the screen), switch to the second section on that page.

According to Google, there are some verbal responses that will not be served from the lock screen, even if you allow it to display personal results. These include payments, Google Photos, requests to open other apps, or questions about your name or address, among other things.

Update March 10, 2022, 3:38 PM ET: This article was originally published on November 26, 2019, and has been updated to allow changes to the Android operating system.