In iOS 27, users will be able to clear the Now Playing widget on their lock screens, just like notifications. Here are the details.

For years, iPhone users have turned to forums to ask, “Is there a way to dismiss the Now Playing widget on the Lock Screen?”, only to find that the answer was no.

However, with iOS 27, Apple will let users swipe away the Now Playing widget from the Lock Screen and Notification Center. Doing so also hides the Now Playing widget from the Dynamic Island.

At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be a straightforward way to bring it back immediately. The only workaround appears to be pausing playback, waiting several minutes, and then resuming it.

Update, Jun 22: Beta 2 has fixed this issue. Now, after dismissing the Now Playing widget, it returns if the user pauses and then resumes playback.

The behavior also appears to be app-based. For example, if you’re listening to a podcast in Overcast, dismiss the Now Playing widget from the Lock Screen, and then start watching a video in YouTube, the Now Playing widget will reappear for YouTube.

But if you pause the YouTube video and resume playback in Overcast, iOS won’t necessarily bring back Overcast’s Now Playing widget, depending on how recently it was dismissed.

For ongoing updates and full coverage of WWDC26, head over to our news hub.

Are you running iOS 27 developer beta 1? Have you tried dismissing the Now Playing widget? Let us know in the comments.

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