MasaApps360
English
Countdown

How to add a countdown widget to your iPhone Lock Screen

Create the event in Countdown, long-press the Lock Screen, tap Customize, add a widget and pick Countdown. That's it — the widget shows the days left to your soonest event. No Pro needed, any size.

4 min read · Updated 2026-09-15

Download on the App Store

Why a widget instead of the app?

A number you have to go dig for doesn't do much. An event left buried in the app tends to get checked once or twice a week at most. Put on the Lock Screen, it shows up every time the phone gets picked up — that's really the whole pitch for a widget here.

Six widget shapes in total. They read from a small copy of your events that the app hands them, so they keep drawing even if you haven't opened Countdown in a week.

Step 1: create the event in the app

  1. Open Countdown and tap + to open New Countdown.
  2. Enter a Title, pick an emoji or a category, and choose the date.
  3. Turn on Include Time if the hour matters.
  4. Tap Save. The widget can now show this event.

Step 2: how to add the countdown to your iPhone Lock Screen

  1. Lock the iPhone, then touch and hold the Lock Screen until it zooms out.
  2. Tap Customize and choose the Lock Screen.
  3. Tap the widget area below the clock, or the line above it for the inline widget.
  4. Scroll the list and tap Countdown, then pick the circular or rectangular widget.
  5. Tap Done.

Home Screen version: touch and hold an empty spot until the icons jiggle, tap the add button in the corner, search Countdown, pick small, medium or large.

What each widget size shows

Countdown widget families
WhereSizeWhat you see
Lock ScreenCircularThe number of days and the word days
Lock ScreenRectangularThe emoji, the title and the days left
Lock ScreenInline (above the clock)The emoji, the days with a d, and the title in one line
Home ScreenSmallThe emoji, the days and the title
Home ScreenMediumThe emoji and title, the date, and the days
Home ScreenLargeThe emoji, the title, the days, a live running timer and the date

A nice touch: Home Screen widgets inherit the event's own background and accent color, so whatever gradient you picked in the editor just carries over to the widget without extra setup.

Which event does the widget show?

Soonest by date, archived ones skipped. Trip in 20 days, wedding in 259 — you get the trip on the widget.

Once the trip date passes, the event stays in your list as Completed and the widget shows it as completed. Long-press the card in the app and choose Archive or Delete, and the widget moves on to the wedding.

When does the number update?

Once a day, right after midnight in your device's time zone, and that's a deliberate limit, not a bug — iOS caps how often a widget can redraw, and one that pushes for more just gets throttled until it goes stale.

Two things get around that. Edit or add an event and every widget updates right away. And the large Home Screen widget's timer line is kept running by iOS itself, so it moves on its own with no refresh involved.

Worked example

A flight on Friday, December 18, 2026 at 7:45 AM. The widget redraws at each midnight and shows the whole days left at that moment.

What the widget shows for a 7:45 AM flight on December 18, 2026
Widget refreshes atTime leftWidget shows
Tue, Dec 1, 2026, 12:00 AM17 days 7 h 45 min17 days
Thu, Dec 17, 2026, 12:00 AM1 day 7 h 45 min1 day
Fri, Dec 18, 2026, 12:00 AM0 days 7 h 45 min0 days
After 7:45 AM on Dec 18PassedCompleted

Hours get dropped, so the widget reads 0 the morning of the flight itself — not wrong, just a coarser number than you'd get opening the event. If you want the exact hours and minutes, that's in the app, not on the widget.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting seconds on the Lock Screen. It only ever shows days.
  • Leaving finished events sitting in the list. The widget keeps showing the completed one first.
  • Hunting for a Pro lock on widgets. There isn't one — every size is free.

Questions and answers

Is the Countdown Lock Screen widget free?
Yes, all six shapes across both screens. Free plan gives you up to 3 events, and the widget just shows the soonest.
Can I choose which event the widget shows?
Not directly — it follows date order, soonest non-archived event wins. Want a later one featured? Archive or delete whatever's ahead of it.
Why does my widget still show yesterday's number?
It only refreshes once a day at midnight, and iOS can delay that slightly on top. Opening the app, or editing any event, forces a fresh update across all widgets right away.
Does the widget work on iPad?
Yes — same small, medium and large Home Screen sizes there as on iPhone.

You might also like

More Countdown guides