For those who haven’t yet taken advantage of the ease and practicality of widgets, it’s time. Widgets allow you see important information at a glance and make the home screen truly personalized.
Apps play a major role in many people’s everyday lives. Information on everything from health to schedules lie within those little icons. But opening multiple apps over and over several times a day can be a time suck. Widgets are a way to get that information right on a home screen without opening the app every time.
What is a widget?
Think of widgets like mini apps that take the need-to-know details from a variety of apps and show them to users in a condensed version on their home screen. Not every app has a corresponding widget, but many do and they are a great way to truly customize a phone.
Users can place widgets on lock screens as well, although iOS devices limit the number.
The benefit of popular widgets like photos, clocks, calendars and weather are predictable and offerings are readily available. But here are five categories of widgets to consider that go beyond the obvious.
What are the best widgets?
TripIt
The TripIt app is the one-stop shop for all things travel. It keeps track of flights, hotels, rental cars and everything else travelers need. The widget available for iOS and Android puts the most valuable information like flight number and departure time on the home screen.
Then, it changes to continue to show the most relevant information at the time. So after a traveler’s flight lands, the widget switches to highlight details of what’s next, whether it’s a rental car reservation or a hotel check-in.
Google Fit
Google Fit has three different widgets users can display depending on the information they want. Users can choose to see activity goals, multiple stats or a single stat at a glance. For iOS, Apple Fitness is built-in and the widget saves users (who aren’t already using an Apple Watch) from a deep dive into the app. Users can choose between a smaller widget with a progress ring or a larger one, which also includes graphs indicating daily progress.
Apple News and Google News
The Apple News and Google News widgets show top stories and latest headlines on the home screen. Using either is a super easy way to stay informed about current events.
Countdown
The Countdown widget for iOS allows users to track the days until a momentous occasion and see that exciting reminder on the home screen. Users can also create a count up widget to mark the time passed since a significant moment in time.
Android users have a similarly creative widget called Time Until, with hundreds of free images to use as backdrops. Glancing at a phone to see that Italian vacation is only three weeks, four days and five hours away can be a great motivator.
Calm
Calm for Android and iOS devices is a very popular app for relaxation and stress management. The widget gives one tap access to a 10-minute guided meditation called the Daily Calm. Seeing the widget on a phone’s home screen could also be a great reminder to tap it and do deep breathing exercises throughout the day.
How do I get iPhone widgets?
Touch and hold anywhere on the Home Screen until apps jiggle, then tap the “+” sign at the top of the screen. Select a widget, choose a size and tap Add Widget. Reposition the widget by dragging it to the desired location and tap Done.
Users can also add a Smart Stack, which is a pre-built collection of widgets that displays the most applicable widget based on factors like location, activity or time. To build a Smart Stack, touch and hold the screen until the apps jiggle, then drag up to 10 widgets on top of one another.
How do I find Android widgets?
On the Home Screen, touch and hold an empty space and then tap Widgets. Choose a widget and drag it to the desired location.
Widgets are relatively new, especially to the iOS universe. But once users get a taste of their quick and easy access to important information, they might be something hard to live without.