How to Customise the Lock Screen Clock and Shortcuts in Android

The Lock Screen is the most frequently viewed interface on any smartphone, serving as your portal to the time, calendar agenda, weather conditions, and incoming correspondence. For many generations of Android, lock screen customization was remarkably limited: you were largely stuck with a standard system clock font and fixed, unchangeable corner shortcuts for Google Assistant and the Camera.

Starting with Android 14 and expanded in Android 15, Google introduced a comprehensive Lock Screen studio for stock Android and Pixel devices. You can now select from multiple striking clock typography formats, adjust dynamic colour palettes that harmonize with your wallpaper, resize clock displays, and reassign the bottom corner shortcuts to essential tools like Flashlight, QR Scanner, or Google Wallet. This tutorial details how to personalize your Android lock screen.

Accessing the Android Wallpaper & Style Studio

Opening the lock screen customization interface takes only a couple of taps:

1. Wake your Android phone and unlock it to the Home Screen.
2. Touch and hold any empty area of your wallpaper until the pop-up menu appears.
3. Tap Wallpaper & style.
4. At the top of the screen, tap the Lock screen preview tab.

Choosing a Clock Style and Customising Colours

Android provides a diverse collection of clock layouts ranging from minimalist fonts to expressive modern designs:

1. In the Lock screen studio, swipe horizontally across the clock preview carousel to browse available clock styles (including bold oversized numeral stacks, compact horizontal layouts, retro handwritten fonts, and weather-integrated clocks).
2. Tap Clock colour & size beneath the preview carousel:
   • Colour: Pick an accent tone extracted dynamically from your wallpaper via Material You, or select a crisp custom tint. Use the luminance slider below to adjust brightness and contrast.
   • Size: Choose between Dynamic (expands to a large two-line clock when there are no unread notifications and shrinks when alerts arrive) or Small (remains permanently pinned as a compact header in the top-left corner).

Customising Bottom Left and Right Lock Screen Shortcuts

You can replace default buttons with tools you rely on throughout the day:

1. In the Wallpaper & style menu, scroll down and tap Shortcuts.
2. Tap Left shortcut and choose your desired tool from the options list:
   • Flashlight: Quick toggle for dark environments.
   • Google Wallet: Instant access to payment cards and transit passes.
   • Camera: Instant photo capture.
   • Do Not Disturb: Silence alerts with a quick press.
   • Mute: Toggle ring/vibrate.
   • QR Code Scanner: High-speed optical scanner for restaurant menus and Wi-Fi codes.
   • Device Controls: Access smart home lights and thermostats.
3. Tap Right shortcut and assign a complementary tool.
4. Exit back to your Lock Screen. To activate a shortcut from the lock screen, simply press and hold the corner icon for one second.

Lock Screen Customisation on Samsung Galaxy Devices (One UI)

If you use a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, customization is just as deep:

1. Touch and hold the Lock Screen while awake and authenticate.
2. Tap the clock widget to pick from dozens of font styles and analogue watch dials.
3. Tap the bottom-left and bottom-right shortcut circles to assign any installed application on your phone.
4. Tap Done in the top-right corner to save.