This widget allows you to have no more than five people in your circle. And they should be those people you really want to know what they’re up to throughout the day.
We’ve all heard of spring cleaning, but the new year is a time for me when I like do tidy up my technology. I unsubscribe from retailers’ emails, sift through contacts on social media and try and get back to the bare bones of my tech. Maybe you’re even taking a full-on break from social networking. But there are always those critical loved ones with whom you want to stay close. You actually enjoy getting interrupted throughout the day with their selfies letting you know they’re eating an ice cream cone or about to take a nap.
Locket Widget is a new iOS app you can download and use with those people to see live photos from them right on your Home Screen. Locket was atop the free apps in the App Store for much of last week and would be best used with a small group of girlfriends, siblings, a significant other or your immediate family.
It’s free and simple to download, just asking for your phone number and access to your contacts and camera. Then you add the widget to your home screen by pressing down on any app and choosing Edit Home Screen. Press the + in the upper left hand corner of your screen and search for Locket. Any photos you and your loved ones share with the app will pop up instantly in the 2x2 window. You can view the photo you receive without even opening an app.
Locket has no bells or whistles, with the ability to use the front or back camera and a flash as the only features. There is no ability to use filters, edit, draw on the photo or add text or emojis of any kind. You can’t even upload photos from your camera roll; you can only share those taken with Locket’s camera. To take a photo, tap anywhere on the widget.
You have the option of adding up to five people to your group and you are currently only allowed one group. Many people in the reviews asked for the ability to have different groups and Locket says that may happen in the future. But for right now, this is only for a very exclusive circle of people.
Any photo you choose to share appears immediately on the other people’s Home Screens. And remember it takes up two inches of the Home Screen, so you should be sure any photo you send wouldn’t be inappropriate for someone else to see in case they glance over.
The app saves all the photos so you can scroll through old ones any time. You have the ability to delete selected old photos from your Locket app, but do not have the choice to delete them from someone else’s. So again, be sure that photo is one you won’t mind your friends having for as long as they want; there’s no way to take it back. And know that any photo can be saved, sent or shared to anyone and any social platform.
Locket’s privacy policy says the only reason it asks for your contact list is to make it easy for you to find the friends you want to add. They don’t save your contacts and won’t send messages to your friends, but you must allow access to your contact list in order to use the app.
Something to keep in mind as you send those live pics out to your inner circle, is that Locket’s Terms of Service says you grant them license to use your content. That means Locket could use any of the photos you share on the app for its own advertising or any other way they desire.
The app’s developer, Matt Moss came up with the idea for Locket for his girlfriend. He told TechCrunch he was trying to figure out a way for them to keep in touch when she went away to college and they were facing a long-distance relationship. The TikTok he posted about the app has nearly 800,000 views so far and others started posting their own Locket videos using the same “I Love You So” song by The Walters.
After extensive searching, I couldn’t find anything comparable for Android users, but Moss told TechCrunch an Android version is coming at some point.
For now, choose your super private group and give Locket a try. And as always, be careful what you post.