Slack now offers four iPhone widgets – here's how you can use them

If you have an iPhone and regularly use Slack, you should appreciate Slack’s four new widgets that give you access to key features at the tap of a finger. Released by Slack on Monday, three of the widgets are meant for the Home Screen, while the fourth is geared for the Lock Screen. The widgets let you quickly access certain features so that you don’t have to open the actual app yourself.

The first one for the Home Screen is a Catch Up widget, which displays unread messages and mentions to help you catch up on the latest info.

Next are two Status widgets that let you easily set or clear your current status on Slack. The smaller of the two shows an icon that you tap to control your status. The larger one displays four status choices so you can pick the one you want to use.

Finally, there’s the Lock Screen widget known simply as Slack, which takes you directly to the latest conversations on the last workspace you accessed.

How to set up Slack’s Home Screen widgets

To set up any of the three Home Screen widgets, press down on an empty area of the screen on which you want to place the widget. Any icons on the screen should start jiggling. Tap the plus icon in the upper left. Swipe down the list of widgets and tap the entry for Slack.

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The Catch Up widget should be the first to appear. Tap the “Add Widget” button to place it on your Home Screen. You can then move it to a different spot. When you’re finished, tap Done.

To add one of the Status widgets, follow the same steps. At the selection of Slack widgets, swipe the screen to the left. Choose either the smaller widget or the larger one. Again, tap the “Add Widget” button, position the widget, and then tap Done.

How to use Slack’s Home Screen widgets

When you tap the Catch Up widget, you should be taken to Slack, where you’ll find any new messages or mentions that you haven’t yet read. Tap the smaller Status widget, and you can choose a specific status, such as Focus, Lunch, “In a meeting,” “Taking a break,” or “Working remotely.” With the larger version, tap any of the listed status options, such as Focus or Lunch.

To point to a different Slack workspace, press on any of the widgets and select “Edit Widget.” Select the current workspace and choose another one.

How to set up Slack’s Lock Screen widget

To add Slack’s Lock Screen widget, go to Settings, select Wallpaper, and then tap “Add New Wallpaper.” Choose the wallpaper you wish to add. The wallpaper you picked should display a row of icons or a field near the top that says: “Add Widgets.” Tap one of the icons or tap the Add Widgets field. Swipe down on the screen and tap the entry for Slack. Drag and drop the widget onto any empty area of the Widgets field and then tap Add.

If you want the new wallpaper to appear on your Home Screen and Lock Screen, tap the button for “Set as Wallpaper Pair.” If not, tap the option for “Customize Home Screen,” and then tweak the Home Screen wallpaper separately. When you’re finished, tap Done.

How to use Slack’s Lock Screen widget

The next time your iPhone is locked, tap the Slack widget. You’ll be taken directly to the latest conversations from the last workspace you accessed.

So far, the new widgets are designed only for the iPhone. In response to an X user who asked about widgets for Android, Slack said: “It’s on our roadmap, stay tuned and thanks for your patience.”