Pixel phone users rely on the At a Glance widget as a handy tool for quick access to important information right from the home screen and lock screen. This widget offers a glimpse of appointments, weather, and flights, but until now, it notably lacked train alerts in some parts of the world.
Recently, it was reported by Android Police that train alerts are starting to show up in the At a Glance widget, indicating that a wider rollout is underway. This was observed when a user booked a long-distance train trip through Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railway operator. While the At a Glance settings list trains under the “Travel” toggle, the feature hasn’t always translated to on-screen alerts.
The trigger for this change remains somewhat of a mystery. The user initially booked through the Deutsche Bahn app, and Gmail picked up the details from the email confirmation. It is unclear whether the widget was picking up the information from the app or from Gmail. Interestingly, Deutsche Bahn recently revamped its email layout, presenting all trip info within the email body instead of the usual PDF attachment. This change, along with a redesign of the operator’s confirmation email in Gmail, may have played a role in enabling train alerts.
In addition to displaying time and details, the new At a Glance widget now shows platform information for both departure and arrival stations. However, its availability may depend on the chosen train operator. Although Google’s At a Glance support page mentions trains, platform, station name, status, and even seat information support, the limited regional rollout has been a source of frustration for many. The upcoming global expansion suggests that Google has always aimed to offer comprehensive travel info, but has been hindered by individual train operators.
Exciting developments are on the horizon for the At a Glance widget. Soon, Pixel users will be able to move the widget around their home screen or remove it altogether, a feature slated for a future Android 14 QPR2 beta release. This change is eagerly anticipated and will offer users more flexibility with their widgets.
