Owners of Apple iPhones who also happen to listen to their music, podcasts, or audiobooks via Spotify can now get into the app quicker than ever thanks to an update that takes advantage of a key iOS 16 feature.

Once updated to the new version of Spotify iPhone owners can put the app on their Lock Screen for the first time, while iPhone 14 Pro owners will be able to take advantage of their Always-On Display to get access to the app even more quickly.

Easy-access Lock Screen widget

Spotify announced its first Lock Screen widget via a post to its community forum, with the updated app now also available for download from the App Store.

"After you add the new Spotify widget to your Lock Screen, tapping on it will quickly open the Spotify app," the announcement post says. "So whether you're busy on the go, in the car, or at home, the Spotify app is now always just one tap away."

While that might not sound like a huge deal at first blush, it's a big one for die-hard Spotify streamers who want the barrier to entry to be as low as possible. Less friction is a good thing, especially for anyone who finds themselves opening and closing the Spotify app a lot.

Unfortunately, opening apps is all that the iOS 16 widgets can do, but that could be about to change. Rumours have the iOS 17 widgets gaining support for interactive elements including switches and more, although it remains to be seen whether that also extends to widgets that are placed on the Lock Screen like the one Spotify has now made available.

If you already have Spotify installed on your iPhone and have automatic updates enabled you might have the latest version without realising. If not, you can get the free update in the App Store. New downloaders can also grab it for free as well.