How to show the lunar date on the iPhone lock screen
Updated November 6, 2026 • vLunar
Since iOS 16 the iPhone lock screen has a row of widgets under the clock. The vLunar lock screen widget puts the lunar date, the Can Chi year and the moon phase there, so you see it as soon as you pick up the phone, without unlocking it.
Step 1: Install and open vLunar
- 1Download vLunar from the App Store (button at the end of this page) and open it once.
- 2Lock screen widgets are part of Pro. Turn on Pro in the app before adding the widget.
Step 2: Add the widget to the lock screen
- 1Touch and hold the lock screen until Customize appears, tap Customize, then choose Lock Screen.
- 2Tap the widget row right under the clock (or the Add Widgets button).
- 3Scroll to vLunar in the list of apps and tap it.
- 4Tap or drag the style you want: the round style shows the lunar date and moon phase, the rectangular style also shows the solar date and the Can Chi year.
- 5Close the widget panel and tap Done.
Remove the widget from the lock screen
Touch and hold the lock screen > Customize > Lock Screen, tap the widget row, tap the minus button on the vLunar widget, then tap Done.
Widget missing or not changing date?
- Pro users: open vLunar > Setting > User Guide > Widget tab and tap Sync home screen widget.
- Open vLunar once and lock the phone again.
- Turn off Low Power Mode if it is on.
- Remove the widget and add it again as in Step 2.
Do not want Pro?
The small, medium and large vLunar home screen widgets are free and show more: lunar date, Can Chi and events. See the iPhone widget guide.
The iPhone also has an Alternate Calendars option that shows the lunar date inside the Calendar app, but its Chinese lunar calendar sometimes differs from the Vietnamese one. Details in the guide on showing the lunar calendar on iPhone.
See the lunar date right on your home screen
Install vLunar for a Vietnamese lunar calendar widget, Can Chi, the 12 zodiac hours and reminders for memorial days, full moon and new moon on the exact lunar date. No need to open a website every day.
Free
- ✓Lunar date, Can Chi, solar term and moon phase for every day
- ✓The 12 zodiac hours (twelve two-hour periods of the day)
- ✓Events that repeat every lunar month or lunar year: memorial days, full moon, new moon, reminded on the right lunar date
- ✓Vietnamese holidays, US Holidays, and events from the calendars on your phone
- ✓Small, medium and large home screen widgets, with your own background photo
- ✓Journal with photos, videos and hashtags, each entry with its lunar date
- ✓Two-pane layout designed for iPhone Duo
Pro
- ★Lock screen widgets and widget customisation: colours, text, lunar and solar layout
- ★Unlimited countdown widgets with photos rotated from journal hashtags
- ★Apple Watch app and complications
- ★Weather forecast part of the meteorology block on the day card and medium widget (Apple Weather)
- ★Journal lock with Face ID or passcode
Subscription through the App Store or Google Play; see the price in the app.
Frequently asked questions
Is the vLunar lock screen widget free?+
No. Lock screen widgets are part of Pro, a subscription through the App Store. Small, medium and large home screen widgets are free.
Which iPhones support lock screen widgets?+
iPhones running iOS 16 or later. Older iPhones can only use home screen widgets.
vLunar is not in the lock screen widget list?+
Open vLunar once, update it to the latest version and try again. If it still does not appear, restart the phone.
More guides
- Lunar calendar on iPhone Duo: vLunar designed for two panesvLunar has a layout designed for iPhone Duo: unfold it for the month grid on one pane and the lunar day card on the other; fold it for a smooth single-screen view with a Liquid Glass button rail. Free.
- How to add a lunar calendar widget to your iPhone home screenStep by step: add the vLunar Vietnamese lunar calendar widget to your iPhone or iPad home screen, pick small, medium or large, stack widgets and fix a widget that does not change date.
- How to show the lunar calendar on iPhoneTurn on the lunar calendar in the iPhone Calendar app with Alternate Calendars, learn why the Chinese lunar date sometimes differs from the Vietnamese one, and see the Vietnamese lunar date on your home screen.
- How to add a lunar calendar widget to your Android home screenAdd the vLunar Vietnamese lunar calendar widget to your Android home screen on Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, realme and vivo, and fix a widget that does not change date after midnight.
- How to see the lunar calendar on Apple WatchPut the Vietnamese lunar date on your Apple Watch face with the vLunar app and complication: install the watch app, sync from iPhone, add the complication to the watch face.
- Vietnamese lunar date todayToday's lunar date, Can Chi of the day, month and year, the next full moon and new moon, and the countdown to Tết.