Today, Slack introduced the first four widgets for the iOS version of its mobile app. Three of them are designed for the iPhone home screen, while the fourth can be added to the lock screen, allowing users to immediately access the Slack app after unlocking their device.
Home screen widgets include Catch Up, which lets you see at a glance how many unread messages and mentions a user has without opening the app. It offers a bit more detail than the Slack app icon badge, and tapping the Catch Up widget takes users directly to that section of the Slack app so they can quickly flip through conversations they’ve missed.
The other two home screen widgets streamline Slack status updates. Tapping the smaller status widget also takes users directly to that section of the Slack iOS app, while a larger version offers the same functionality plus three pre-selected status options: hour-long “Focus” and “Lunch” statuses, plus a half-hour “Take a Break” status. However, those pre-selected options aren’t customizable at this time.
The addition of Slack to all of our devices has already made work feel like a non-stop activity. If you really want to incorporate more work into your life, adding these widgets could be even more useful, as it will put work front and center every time you open your phone.
