Instagram’s New iOS Widget Lets You Capture Stories from the Lock Screen; Here’s How

There’s no denying that lock screen widgets on iPhone are seemingly the best way to perform certain actions as you don’t have to go through the process of unlocking your phone and visiting said app. It seems like Instagram understands this well, as they are rolling out a “Story camera” shortcut widget for its iOS app.

First noticed by several users and as reported by 9to5Mac, Instagram is making an interactive lock screen widget available with the latest update for the app. This new widget will work as a shortcut and take you directly to Instagram’s Story camera. So instead of having to jump into the app itself, you can use the widget to post a new Story with just a tap.

As seen in the screenshot above, it is a widget with the Story camera icon. It is similar to the Snapchat camera widget that works as a shortcut and takes you directly to the Snapchat camera right from your iPhone’s lock screen.

Add Instagram Story Camera Widget to the Lock Screen

If you want to try out this feature, long press on your iPhone’s lock screen, tap on Customize, and select Add Widgets. Scroll down to Instagram and choose the Story Camera widget to add it to your lock screen. Now, whenever you look at your iPhone lock screen and tap this widget, it will directly open the story capture UI in the Instagram app.

It is a convenient way to jump right into the Instagram app and start capturing and sharing stories. It will especially come in handy for those who often find themselves chronicling their life via Stories.

If you can’t find this widget, update your Instagram app to the latest version on iOS and then check again. However, if you received this widget, let us know if you are going to be using it and share this guide with your friends who post a lot of Stories.