Google introduced lock screen widgets in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean but the feature has not particularly caught up with users and OEMs alike. Most OEMs remove or customize this feature to a point that makes it utterly useless. In fact, the feature is completely missing from the Samsung Galaxy S5 and a few other phones.

HTC was also guilty of customizing the lock screen widgets functionality on the One M7 with Sense 5 and 5.5, which made it somewhat useless. But with the One M8, it has restored the feature back to its original state, although it is disabled by default. 

To enable it, head over to Settings -> Security and select the Lock screen widgets option to add new widgets to your lock screen. Then, go back to the lock screen of your device and swipe to the left. Tap the giant + symbol that you see, which will open up the widget picker allowing you to place any widget on your lock screen.

While you can have multiple lock screen pages filled with widgets, you cannot set them as default, which is a bit disappointing.

The stock lock screen calendar widget on the HTC One M8 looks pretty good

HTC also bundles its own mini-widgets that can display useful information like your missed calls, emails, voicemails and calendar entries. To enable and customize them, head over to Settings -> Security -> Notification Settings, and select the notifications which you want to be displayed on the lock screen.

Which is your favorite lock screen widget? Do you love the inbuilt lock screen widgets of Sense 6.0? Drop in a comment and let us know.