The Best Flight Tracker Widgets for iPhone in 2026
Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Stand By — here's how the leading flight tracker widgets compare on iOS in 2026, and the ones we keep on the front page.
The widget surfaces that matter
iOS has six surfaces a flight tracker widget can live on:
- Home Screen (small, medium, large, extra-large on iPad).
- Lock Screen rectangular.
- Lock Screen inline (the line above the clock).
- Lock Screen circular.
- Stand By full-bleed.
- Smart Stack (auto-rotated).
A real flight tracker designs at least four of these well.
Comparison
| App | Home | Lock rect | Lock inline | Lock circle | Stand By |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FlightyFlow | S/M/L | Yes | Yes | Yes | Full |
| Flighty | S/M/L | Yes | No | Yes | Limited |
| Flightradar24 | S/M | No | No | No | No |
| FlightAware | S only | No | No | No | No |
What we put on our own Home Screen
A medium FlightyFlow widget showing the next two pinned flights with status and ETA, plus a Lock Screen circular complication that turns from green → amber → red as delay risk grows. That single combination removes 90% of in-app opens.
Tips for great widgets
- Pin only flights you actually want notifications for.
- Use the inline complication if you want a single-line status above the clock for quick glances during a layover.
- On Stand By, FlightyFlow's full-bleed widget makes a good airport night-table screen.
Frequently asked
Do flight tracker widgets refresh in real time?+
Widgets update on Apple's budget rather than continuous polling, but during an active Live Activity the Lock Screen content updates much more frequently.
Can I have flight tracker widgets and Live Activities at the same time?+
Yes. Widgets handle the at-rest case (no upcoming flight); Live Activities take over once a flight is within its boarding window.
Track your next flight with FlightyFlow
Free on the App Store. Live aircraft, smart alerts, and beautiful flight pages — built for iPhone.