Apple in iOS 27 made a small but significant change to how the Now Playing widget works on your iPhone’s lock screen: you can now swipe it to get rid of it.
Previously, there was no way to close the Now Playing interface on the lock screen. But in the first iOS 27 developer build released yesterday, swiping left on the playback controls slides a Clear button in from the right.
Clearing the screen controls also removes the smaller Now Playing widget from the dynamic island.
It’s not yet clear how to bring widgets back immediately – like 9to5Mac notes, the only workaround seems to be to pause playback, wait a few minutes, then resume it. It also seems to depend on what app you’re using for reading. For example, switching from podcast to video playback re-calls the Lock Screen widget.
Being able to make the Now Playing widget disappear is certainly a small adjustment, but it will be welcomed by anyone who likes to ignore anything taking up space on their lock screen, playback controls included. Apple will make iOS 27 available in public beta next month, with a general release expected in the fall.
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