To put a countdown on your iPhone Lock Screen, first decide what you're counting down to. For minutes or hours, start a timer in the Clock app; it stays on the Lock Screen while it runs, no download needed. For the days until a date (a trip, a birthday, an exam), add a countdown app's Lock Screen widget, because iPhone doesn't include one. For the next fixed time in your day (a meeting, lunch, school pickup), use a live countdown that moves on to the next time by itself.
The steps below are for iOS 26 and come from Apple's iPhone User Guide. App details come from each app's App Store listing and website as of October 2026.
Which countdown do you need?
| You want to count down to | Use | Where it shows | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| A length of time (25 minutes, 2 hours) | Clock app timer | Lock Screen while it runs; Dynamic Island when unlocked | Built in |
| A date (12 days until the trip) | A countdown app's Lock Screen widget | Under the clock, all the time | Depends on the app; see below |
| The next time in your day (lunch at 12:00, pickup at 18:30) | A live day countdown such as DuePal | Lock Screen widget; Live Activity and Dynamic Island | Widget free; Live Activity with Premium |
1. Minutes or hours: the Clock app timer
If you only need one countdown right now, you already have it. Apple's Clock app keeps its timer running after you leave the app or the phone goes to sleep, and it sits on the Lock Screen while it runs.
- Open the Clock app and tap Timer.
- Set the duration. Optionally tap Label to name it ("Laundry") and When Timer Ends to pick the sound.
- Tap Start, then lock the phone.
On the Lock Screen you can swipe left on the timer and tap Clear to cancel it, and when it ends you can tap Repeat or Stop there without unlocking. You can also run more than one: after starting a timer, tap the add button in the top right and add another, so laundry and the oven can count down side by side. Asking Siri to "set a timer for 3 minutes" does the same thing hands-free.
The limit is that a timer counts a length you have to start. It disappears when it ends, and it can't count down to a date next month or to 3:30 this afternoon unless you work out the gap yourself.
2. Days until a date: add a countdown widget
For "how many days until," you need a widget, and Apple doesn't ship a day-countdown one. A countdown app supplies the widget; iOS puts it on the Lock Screen. Add your event in the app first, then:
- Wake the iPhone and press and hold the Lock Screen.
- Swipe to the Lock Screen you want to change and tap Customize.
- Tap an existing widget or Add Widgets, find the countdown app in the list, and tap the widget you want.
- Tap Done.
Three popular countdown apps, and what each one gives you on the Lock Screen:
- Countdown by Find Appiness (4.8, 189,000+ US ratings) is the best-rated of the big ones. Unlimited countdowns are free, with repeats, count-ups from past dates, working-day counting and iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The Lock Screen and StandBy widgets, Home Screen widgets, alarms and calendar import are Premium, which also removes ads. Its site says Premium is "no subscription, ever."
- Days from MD Apps (4.8, 12,000+ ratings) is built around a photo for each event. Its listing includes Lock Screen widgets as well as Home Screen widgets and recurring events, it has an Apple Watch app, and it's free to download.
- Countdown Star from Joe Merrill (4.8, 216,000+ ratings) adds celebration animations at zero, time-zone support and your own photo wallpapers. Its listing describes small, medium and large Home Screen widgets and an Apple Watch app but doesn't mention a Lock Screen widget, so treat it as a Home Screen option. It comes as a free version with ads (with a Remove Ads purchase) or a paid ad-free version.
If what you want under the clock is a whole month rather than one number, a calendar wallpaper does that instead; see how to make a calendar wallpaper on iPhone.
3. The next thing in your day: a countdown that moves on by itself
There's a third kind of countdown neither of the above handles well: the time left until the next fixed point in your day. Stand-up at 9:30, lunch at 12:00, a focus block at 14:00, leaving at 17:30. A Clock timer would mean doing the subtraction and restarting it four times a day. A date widget counts days, not minutes.
This is what we built DuePal for. You set those times once and the countdown to the next one is already running whenever you look. When a time arrives, it hands over to the following one on its own, and dues can repeat on chosen weekdays so tomorrow is already set.
What shows on the Lock Screen depends on the version:
- Free: the Current Due widget, in all three Lock Screen sizes (circular, rectangular and the line above the clock) and on the Home Screen, with time left and what's up next. You get two dues and two countdowns of your own, plus ready-made countdowns to the weekend, payday and the next public holiday.
- DuePal Premium: the live countdown as a Lock Screen Live Activity and in the Dynamic Island, unlimited dues, the Countdowns widget, the Apple Watch app, alarms that ring in Silent mode on iOS 26, and every clock style and color. If you installed DuePal before version 4.3, the Live Activity stays free for you.
Using it alongside the Clock timer works well: DuePal shows how long until the next switch, and a timer handles the task in front of you. If losing track of the day is a pattern rather than a one-off, our guide to dealing with time blindness goes further.
If the countdown doesn't show up
- An app's Live Activity never appears: go to Settings, tap Apps, tap the app, then Live Activities, and make sure it's allowed.
- The countdown app isn't in the widget list: open the app once and add at least one event, then customize the Lock Screen again. Some apps also keep Lock Screen widgets behind a paid tier, as Countdown does.
- You can't add widgets to this Lock Screen: the options depend on the wallpaper you chose. Create a new Lock Screen with a different wallpaper and try again.
- You want it bigger: Lock Screen widgets are small by design. For a large countdown, use the app's Home Screen widget, or turn the phone sideways while charging for StandBy if the app supports it.
Which one should you set up?
- One countdown for the next half hour: the Clock timer. Nothing to install.
- Days until an event: a countdown app with a Lock Screen widget. Days includes one; Countdown puts its widget in a one-time upgrade.
- The times of your workday or school day: DuePal's free Current Due widget, and Premium if you want it live in the Dynamic Island.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put a countdown on your iPhone Lock Screen without an app?
Yes, for minutes and hours. Start a timer in the Clock app and it stays on the Lock Screen while it runs, where you can swipe left on it to clear it. For the days until a date, iPhone has no built-in countdown widget, so you need a countdown app that offers a Lock Screen widget.
Is there a free countdown widget for the iPhone Lock Screen?
Days lists Lock Screen widgets and is free to download. DuePal's Current Due widget, which counts down to the next fixed time in your day, is free in Lock Screen sizes. In Countdown by Find Appiness, the Lock Screen and StandBy widgets are part of its Premium upgrade, which is not a subscription.
How do I get a countdown in the Dynamic Island?
A running Clock timer shows as a Live Activity, and on iPhones with a Dynamic Island it appears there while the phone is unlocked. Apps that offer Live Activities can do the same; DuePal shows the countdown to your next due on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island as part of DuePal Premium. If an app's Live Activity never appears, check Settings, then the app, then Live Activities.
How do I put a day countdown on my iPhone Lock Screen?
Install a countdown app that has Lock Screen widgets and add your event in it. Then press and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, tap Add Widgets, pick the app's widget and tap Done. The widget shows the days left without unlocking the phone.
The next thing in your day, under the clock
Set the times of your day once. DuePal counts down to each one on your Lock Screen and moves on to the next by itself.
Download DuePal on the App Store →Related: Time Timer Alternatives · How to Deal with Time Blindness. Questions? Email us.
