Softonic reported that Android 17 could ship custom lock screen clocks in the Canary 2608 build, borrowing a page from iOS 16. It is good news, but Pixel and Samsung owners have been picking their lock screen clock for a while thanks to a small ecosystem of always-on-display and widget maker apps. Seven best apps for lock screen clock widgets on Android below cover the four things people actually want: an always-on display with a hand-picked clock face, a widget engine to build a custom clock from scratch, a lightweight replacement for a weak stock AOD, and a home screen widget maker that doubles as a lock screen tool.
The evaluation ran on a Pixel 9, a Samsung Galaxy S24, and a mid-range 2024 Android phone with a Full HD AMOLED, measuring battery impact overnight and the responsiveness of the display when the phone was picked up.
What to look for in a lock screen clock app
The lock screen clock apps that hold up over a full week share a few traits. Look for:
- A real AMOLED-friendly design. Pure black backgrounds, pixel shift, and low duty cycle keep OLED burn-in in check.
- Battery restraint. An always-on clock that eats five percent overnight is a lot on a small phone.
- Sensor awareness. Turn off in a pocket, dim in a bathroom, brighten in daylight.
- A clock face gallery with enough styles to match the wallpaper.
- Optional notifications without becoming a mini-launcher.
- No spyware. Some free lock screen apps scrape contacts and location. The trustworthy ones are open about permissions.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always on Display Amoled | Curated clock face gallery | Yes | Ad-free unlock one-off | Huge face library out of box |
| Always On AMOLED - BETA | Battery-first minimalist AOD | Yes | Around $5 one-off | Best battery discipline on the list |
| KWGT Kustom Widget Maker | Building a lock screen clock from scratch | Yes | One-off, roughly $5 | Full expression language |
| Awake - Always On Display | Pixel owners who want more than the stock AOD | Yes | Optional donation | Notification handling |
| Super AMOLED - Always On Display | Newer Samsung Galaxy owners | Yes | Ad-free unlock | Rich notification widgets |
| Zooper Widget Pro | Long-time widget makers who never left | Yes (Free version) | One-off Pro | Legacy templates that still work |
| Chronus | Full-featured clock, weather, news widget | Yes | Around $3 one-off | Weather and calendar integration |
The apps
1. Always on Display Amoled — Best curated clock face gallery
Always on Display Amoled is the app to try first if the goal is scrolling through dozens of clock faces and picking one. The face gallery covers analog, digital, neon, minimalist, and typographic styles, and every face has color and size options. The AOD engine respects pixel shift so burn-in stays out of the picture.
The free tier ships with ads on the settings screen; the ad-free upgrade is a one-off with no subscription.
Where it falls short: the settings screen buries some controls two layers deep, and the notification handling is thinner than the Samsung-first apps.
Pricing:
- Free: full face gallery with ads on settings.
- Paid: one-off ad-free unlock, roughly the cost of a coffee.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick when the AOD’s job is to make the lock screen look good with minimal setup.
2. Always On AMOLED - BETA — Best battery-first minimalist AOD
Always On AMOLED - BETA is the app when the priority is battery discipline. The minimalist face options draw the fewest pixels of any AOD on this list, the burn-in prevention is aggressive, and overnight impact is measurably smaller than the maximalist competitors. The BETA in the name is misleading: the app has been stable for years.
The developer is transparent about the free tier and the paid options.
Where it falls short: the face selection is smaller, and the design language is deliberately minimal.
Pricing:
- Free: full AOD with a limited face set.
- Paid: around five dollars one-off for the full face library.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick when the AOD has to be invisible on the battery graph.
3. KWGT Kustom Widget Maker — Best for building a lock screen clock from scratch
KWGT Kustom Widget Maker is the pick for anyone who wants a clock face that does not look like anyone else’s. KWGT is a widget engine with an expression language: pull in time, weather, battery, notifications, calendar events, and lay them out with vector shapes and typography. The community shares thousands of Klock and KWGT presets that are one import away.
The Pro unlock is one-off and covers every advanced widget type.
Where it falls short: the learning curve is real. Building a widget from scratch is closer to design work than to picking a theme.
Pricing:
- Free: full engine with an export lock.
- Paid: one-off Pro unlock, roughly the cost of a lunch.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick for anyone who wants a bespoke clock and does not mind spending an evening on it.
4. Awake - Always On Display — Best for Pixel owners
Awake - Always On Display is the app for Pixel owners who found the stock AOD lacking. It fills in the gaps: richer notification handling, more clock styles, a proximity sensor mode that hides the AOD in a pocket, and a schedule that turns the display off overnight. The design language sits close to the stock Pixel one, so nothing on the lock screen looks bolted on.
The app is free with an optional donation to the developer.
Where it falls short: the face gallery is smaller than the Samsung-first apps, and the settings screen expects some experimentation.
Pricing:
- Free: full app.
- Paid: optional donation.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick for Pixel owners who want more than the stock AOD without going full custom.
5. Super AMOLED - Always On Display — Best for newer Samsung Galaxy owners
Super AMOLED - Always On Display is the app for Samsung Galaxy owners who wanted the One UI AOD with more clock face variety. The engine cooperates with Samsung’s pixel-shift and the AOD tap-to-show flow, and the notification widgets on the lock screen are the richest of any app on this list.
The ad-free unlock is a one-off.
Where it falls short: the face gallery is aggressive with monetized packs. The core set is enough for most people.
Pricing:
- Free: full app with ads.
- Paid: one-off ad-free unlock.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick when the phone is a newer Samsung and Samsung’s own AOD felt thin.
6. Zooper Widget Pro — Best for long-time widget makers
Zooper Widget Pro is the pick for anyone who has been making Android widgets since the KitKat era. Zooper never left, and its template system is still one of the fastest ways to lay out a clock, a date, a battery meter, and a weather line on a lock screen or home screen. Legacy Zooper templates from the ZooperWidget community still import cleanly.
The Pro version unlocks premium templates and lays out widgets that would otherwise take a KWGT afternoon.
Where it falls short: development pace has slowed, and the app looks like it was designed a decade ago.
Pricing:
- Free: Zooper Widget Free with the essentials.
- Paid: one-off Pro unlock.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick when the template library and the muscle memory are already Zooper.
7. Chronus — Best full-featured clock plus weather widget
Chronus is the app when the lock screen clock has to double as a clock, a weather forecast, a calendar view, and a news reader. Every module is optional and every widget is resizable. The clock styles cover the classic Android digital clock look plus a stack of modern typographic options.
The paid unlock enables the news, calendar, and weather modules on all widgets.
Where it falls short: the AOD support depends on the phone; on stock Android AOD it renders as a lock screen widget instead.
Pricing:
- Free: base app with clock and weather widgets.
- Paid: around three dollars one-off for the full module set.
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the pick when the lock screen clock has to carry weather and calendar too.
How to pick
- Pick Always on Display Amoled for the widest curated clock face gallery.
- Pick Always On AMOLED - BETA when battery impact has to stay invisible.
- Pick KWGT Kustom Widget Maker if the goal is a clock face no one else has.
- Pick Awake - Always On Display for Pixel owners who want the stock AOD done properly.
- Pick Super AMOLED - Always On Display for newer Samsung Galaxy owners.
- Pick Zooper Widget Pro for the legacy widget maker workflow.
- Pick Chronus when the lock screen has to be a clock, a weather forecast, and a calendar all at once.
FAQ
Is Android 17 getting custom lock screen clocks?
The Canary 2608 build is testing custom lock screen clocks, but a shipping date has not been set. Third-party apps cover the gap today.
Which lock screen clock app has the smallest battery impact?
Always On AMOLED - BETA. The minimalist face options draw the fewest pixels of any AOD in this test.
Can these apps replace the stock always-on display?
On Samsung and Pixel, yes. The stock AOD keeps working underneath and can be disabled in settings when the third-party AOD is preferred.
Is there a free lock screen clock app on Android?
Awake - Always On Display is free with an optional donation. Always on Display Amoled and Always On AMOLED - BETA have free tiers with a paid ad-free unlock.
Which lock screen clock app do most Samsung Galaxy owners use?
Samsung’s own One UI AOD covers most people, and the third-party leaders after that are Super AMOLED - Always On Display and Always on Display Amoled.
