Steve Jobs might have invented the three-click rule. This rule refers to how Apple’s late CEO and co-founder pushed the unique iPod staff to guarantee that a person was all the time three clicks away from taking part in a tune.

I thought of this as I used to be creating a brand new Lock Display screen for once I’m touring within the automotive, and the way the platform’s information help for Lock Display screen widgets have decreased the variety of faucets on my iPhone to launch an app or an motion with out going to the house display.

I take advantage of each Apple Maps and Google Maps for various functions – whether or not that is utilizing Apple’s app to search for sure landmarks when my spouse and I are away for a weekend, or utilizing Google Maps to get from one vacation spot to a different.

But it is the mix of Google Maps and iOS 16’s Lock Display screen widgets which were probably the most helpful to me when driving someplace, and I am hoping for extra by the point iOS 17 arrives.

Widgets are reducing down on the faucets

Once we’re about to depart for a automotive journey, I change the Lock Display screen on my iPhone to the one above, and the Google Maps widget on the precise will let me choose the vacation spot I’ve beforehand visited, and the climate widget on the left will give me an thought as to the climate for the subsequent few hours whereas I am on the street.

This additionally launched the second a part of organising my iPhone for driving. As Spotify is built-in to Google Maps, it might probably additionally play a tune if I want it to, however since we prefer to hearken to a bunch of podcasts on the street, I take advantage of Apple’s Shortcuts perform to automate a playlist of podcasts.

As quickly as I allow ‘Do Not Disturb in Driving’, the automation begins taking part in my podcast playlist in Overcast, resuming the place we final left off. It is extremely simple to set my iPhone up for driving now, and earlier than iOS 16, I spent most of my time organising podcasts earlier than hitting the street.

These Lock Display screen widgets aren’t only for present – they might help minimize down the faucets to or under the benchmark Steve Jobs set over twenty years in the past with the iPod. Mix that with Shortcut automation and it is already turning into a time-saver for me and absolutely many others.

With regards to iOS 17, I might like to have extra widgets positioned on the Lock Display screen – one above and three under the time is not sufficient, I would like at the least six to put.

For now, nevertheless, widgets and automations are an ideal mixture for me when driving, each earlier than and through, and it is why I regard iOS 16 as an awesome replace for the iPhone.