How to Customize Your Android Lock Screen: Notifications, Apps, and Google Assistant

Your Android phone's lock screen is a powerful tool for quick glances at notifications and essential features without unlocking. This is especially handy on devices like the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro if you're dealing with fingerprint sensor glitches.

Contents:
Enable lock screen notifications
Choose which apps appear on your lock screen
Get personal information on your lock screen
Use Google Assistant on the lock screen

These steps, tested on a Pixel 6 running Android 12, help you tweak your lock screen settings. Note that exact options may vary by device manufacturer and Android version.

Enable lock-screen notifications

You can display both alert and silent notifications, alerts only, or none at all.

• Go to Settings (swipe down from the top, then tap the gear icon) and select Notifications.
• Scroll to Lock screen notifications.
• Choose from: Show conversation notifications (alerts and silent); Hide conversation contents and silent notifications (silent ones lack sound or vibration, like weather updates); or Don't show notifications.

(Results may differ based on your phone and Android version.)

Toggle Sensitive notifications to hide details. When off, you'll see just the app and count, like "1 new message," without content.

Choose the apps that appear on your lock screen

Lock screen apps match those allowed for notifications. Control them here.

• Open Settings.
• Select Notifications > App notifications.
• Browse your apps (sort by name, recent, or frequent use). Toggle notifications on/off per app. Tap an app for granular control.

Get personal information on your lock screen

Beyond general alerts like news or weather, enable personalized ones for emails, reminders, and flights.

• Activate your phone and say to Google Assistant, "Open Assistant settings." Or go to Settings > Apps > Assistant > See all Assistant settings > Personal results.
• In the Your phone tab, enable Personal results (for email, calendar access). Then turn on Personal suggestions on the lock screen before asking.

Use Google Assistant on the lock screen

Configure Assistant for lock screen queries—or disable to avoid mishaps.

• Go to Settings > Apps > Assistant > See all Assistant settings > Lock screen.
• Enable Assistant responses on lock screen. Say "Hey Google" to activate. For touch activation, check the next section.

Per Google, some responses are restricted on lock screen, even with personal results: payments, Google Photos, app opens, or personal info like name/address.

Updated March 10, 2022, 3:38 PM ET: Originally published November 26, 2019; updated for Android changes.