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Guide · friend widgets

Apps like Locket for your home screen

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Locket put friends on your home screen. These apps do it with photos, music, pets, statuses and even the Dynamic Island.

Updated September 30, 2026By the Bobble team

Locket Widget made a simple idea huge: a friend takes a photo, and it shows up on your home screen. No feed, no likes. But maybe you've hit the 20-friend limit, your group lives on Android, or you want your widget to show more than photos.

This list covers the best Locket alternatives in 2026, from other photo widgets to apps that put friends' music, pets, statuses and live maps on your screen. Each pick says what actually shows up on the widget and who it fits. There's also a quick guide to adding iPhone widgets and a section on apps like BeReal. Full disclosure: we make Bobble, and it's on this list. We tell you who each app fits, including when it's not us.

  1. 1

    Locket Widget

    Locket Labs

    Live photos from close friends on your home screen

    iPhone, AndroidFree, optional Locket Gold subscription

    Locket is the original, and for a lot of people it's still the right answer. Take a photo in the app and it lands on your friends' Locket widget within seconds. There's no feed, no likes and no follower counts, and you can add up to 20 friends. You can set a widget just for your best friend or crush, react with emojis, and get a monthly video recap of what your group shared. Since August 2025, some music artists also run Celebrity Lockets that send photos straight to fans' home screens.

    Watch out: The free version caps you at 20 friends, and some extras sit behind the Locket Gold subscription.

    Visit Locket Widget ↗
  2. 2

    Bobble

    We make this

    Friends in your Dynamic Island, not just a widget

    iPhone, Android (coming soon)Free

    If you like having friends on your screen but want more than photos, Bobble puts your crew there as 3D bobblehead figures made from selfies. On iPhone they live in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen through a Live Activity, plus home screen widgets. On Android you get an always-on notification, floating head bubbles and widgets. Each figure shows an auto status like gym, coffee or asleep, and you tap a head to send a fire, kiss, slap or wave. It's coming soon; you can make your bobblehead today.

    Watch out: It isn't on the App Store or Google Play yet, and it's not made for sending photos to a widget the way Locket is.

    Make your Bobble now →
  3. 3

    BeReal

    BeReal (owned by Voodoo)

    One unfiltered photo a day from both cameras

    iPhone, AndroidFree

    BeReal sends everyone one notification a day at a random time, and you get two minutes to post a photo taken with your front and back cameras at once. Your posts are private to friends by default, you react with RealMojis (selfie reactions), and there are no filters. French games company Voodoo bought BeReal in 2024, and the app said in April 2025 it had 40 million monthly users. Pick it if you like Locket's real, unposed moments but want a daily ritual with your whole group.

    Watch out: BeReal now shows ads in the US, and the daily timer gets old fast if your friends stop posting.

    Visit BeReal ↗
  4. 4

    Widgetable

    Widgetable, Inc.

    Shared pets, doodles and mood widgets

    iPhone, AndroidFree with ads, optional subscription

    Widgetable is a whole box of shared widgets for best friends and couples. You can co-parent a virtual pet, grow a plant together, send doodles and photos with Pin It, and share your mood or sleep. Newer versions add a friend status widget. It works on the Home Screen and the Lock Screen, so it's a good pick if you want your widgets to be playful and a little chaotic instead of just photos. It's rated 13+ on the App Store.

    Watch out: Reviewers complain about long ads and paywalls, and the distance widget shows how far apart you are in real time, so only use it with people you trust.

    Visit Widgetable ↗
  5. 5

    Airbuds

    Capp Inc.

    A widget of what friends are listening to

    iPhone, AndroidFree, in-app purchases

    Airbuds is Locket for music. Connect Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Amazon Music or a few others, and your friends' songs show up on a home screen widget as they play. You can react with emojis, stickers or a selfie, start a chat from a song, and get a weekly recap every Sunday that's made for sharing. There's a ghost mode when you want to listen in private. TechCrunch reported 15 million downloads and 5 million monthly users in September 2025.

    Watch out: Some reviewers say it misses plays or logs Apple Music alarm sounds as songs, which can show friends when you wake up.

    Visit Airbuds ↗
  6. 6

    Retro

    Lone Palm Labs

    A calm weekly photo journal with close friends

    iPhone, AndroidFree, optional subscription

    Retro was built by former Instagram engineers, including Nathan Sharp, who worked on Instagram Stories. The idea: share a few photos from your week, visible only to the friends you let in. There's no algorithm and no ads. You get shared albums to drop in the group chat after a party, monthly recaps, postcard printing, and home screen widgets for friends' posts or your own memories. It's slower than Locket and better if you like looking back. TechCrunch reported in August 2026 that it raised over $21 million.

    Watch out: Some extras, like video and GIF comments and unlimited history, need a subscription.

    Visit Retro ↗
  7. 7

    Snapchat

    Snap Inc.

    Chat shortcuts and Memories on your home screen

    iPhone, AndroidFree, optional Snapchat+ subscription

    Snapchat has its own widgets, and a lot of people never set them up. You can put friends on your Home Screen and tap a face to jump straight into a chat, add a Memories widget for a random throwback, or add Snapchat to your iPhone Lock Screen. It isn't a photo-on-your-widget app like Locket, but if your friends already snap all day, it keeps them one tap away without installing anything new.

    Watch out: It's a big, busy app with Stories, Spotlight and ads, and keeping a lot of Memories now costs money.

    Visit Snapchat ↗
  8. 8

    Bump

    amo

    Widgets that show where friends are

    iPhone, AndroidFree

    Bump, from the team behind Zenly, is a live friend map first, but its widgets are why it's here. You can keep friends on your Home Screen, see what they're playing on Apple Music or Spotify, and share a live ETA to a friend's Lock Screen when you're on your way. If you want your widget to tell you where friends are, not just what they posted, Bump does that. Our Zenly alternatives guide covers more map apps.

    Watch out: Friends see your precise location, so it shares a lot more than a photo widget; Ghost Mode works one friend at a time.

    Visit Bump ↗

Locket alternatives compared

AppWhat shows on your screenWhereCost
LocketFriends' photos and videosHome Screen widgetFree, Locket Gold
BobbleFriends as 3D figures with a statusDynamic Island, Lock Screen, widgetsFree (coming soon)
BeRealOne daily dual-camera photoIn the appFree, with ads
WidgetablePets, doodles, mood, distanceHome and Lock Screen widgetsFree, ads, subscription
AirbudsWhat friends are playingHome Screen widgetFree
RetroFriends' weekly photos, your memoriesHome Screen widgetFree, subscription
SnapchatChat shortcuts, MemoriesHome and Lock Screen widgetsFree, Snapchat+
BumpFriends' location and musicWidgets, Lock Screen ETAFree

How to add a friends widget on iPhone and Android

Install the app and sign in first. Most widgets stay blank until you've added at least one friend.

  1. iPhone Home Screen: touch and hold an empty spot until the apps jiggle, tap Edit in the top corner, then Add Widget. Search for the app, pick a size, and tap Add Widget again.
  2. iPhone Lock Screen: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, choose Lock Screen, then tap the widget area under the clock and pick the app.
  3. Android: touch and hold an empty spot on the home screen, tap Widgets, find the app, and drag the widget where you want it.

Want your friends in the Dynamic Island instead of a widget? That's a Live Activity, not a widget. Here's how the Dynamic Island works.

Apps like BeReal, if you want the real-moments part

If what you like about BeReal is unposed photos with only your friends watching, Locket and Retro are the closest matches. Locket is instant and tiny; Retro is weekly and more like a shared journal. Neither has a daily timer, which some people see as a plus. If you want the timer, BeReal is still the only big app built around it.

What happened to Lapse?

Lapse was a popular friends-only app where photos “developed” later like a disposable camera. On November 3, 2025, Lapse announced it could no longer afford to run its social features at that scale. From early December 2025, it removed the social side and went back to being a disposable camera app for yourself. It's still around, but it's no longer a way to share with friends, which is why it isn't on this list.

Questions people ask

Is there an app like Locket for Android?

Locket itself is on Android, so you can use it with friends on either phone. Other widget apps that work on Android include Widgetable, Airbuds, Retro and Snapchat. Bobble will be on Android too, with an always-on notification and floating head bubbles, when it launches.

What is better than Locket?

It depends on what you want on your screen. For more than 20 friends or a daily ritual, try BeReal. For music, Airbuds. For shared pets and doodles, Widgetable. For friends' status in the Dynamic Island instead of photos, Bobble. Locket is still the simplest photo widget.

Is Locket Widget free?

Yes. Locket is free to download and use with up to 20 friends. Locket Gold is an optional paid subscription that adds extra features. You don't need it to send and receive photos on the widget.

Is Locket safe for teens?

Locket is rated 13+ on the App Store. Only friends you add can send photos to your widget, and there's no public feed or follower count. The main thing to check is who's on your friend list, since anything they send appears on your home screen.

What are some apps like BeReal?

The closest apps to BeReal are Locket, which sends friends' photos straight to your home screen, and Retro, a friends-only weekly photo journal. Lapse used to be a popular choice but removed its social features in late 2025.

How do I put a friend's photo on my iPhone home screen?

Install a friend widget app like Locket, Retro or Widgetable and add your friend. Then touch and hold your Home Screen, tap Edit, tap Add Widget, search for the app and add it. New photos from your friend will show up there.

Make your own Bobble

Snap a selfie and meet your 3D bobblehead in about 30 seconds. Free, and it will be waiting in the app on launch day.

Make my Bobble

Keep exploring

Apps like Zepeto3D avatar apps to dress up and hang out.Games like IMVUAvatar games and virtual worlds worth your time.Games like RobloxBuild, create and hang out with friends.Best apps for friendsFun apps to stay close with your crew.Zenly alternativesSee what friends are up to, with or without a map.Ready Player Me alternativesWhere to go now that Ready Player Me is gone.

Sources

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