For years, the iPhone Home Screen was simply a rigid grid of square app icons. If you wanted to check the weather, read a headline, or see your upcoming calendar appointments, you had to physically open the corresponding app.
With modern versions of iOS, Apple finally introduced Widgets. These are larger, dynamic tiles that sit directly alongside your normal app icons. Widgets constantly update in the background, allowing you to glance at your Home Screen and instantly see the current temperature, your remaining battery percentage, or a rotating gallery of your favorite photos without ever having to open an application.
How to Add a Widget
Adding a widget to your Home Screen is incredibly simple, but the menu to do so is slightly hidden.
- Unlock your iPhone so you are looking at your normal Home Screen.
- Tap and hold your finger on any empty space between the apps. (Alternatively, you can tap and hold any app icon and select “Edit Home Screen”).
- All the app icons on your screen will begin jiggling, indicating you are in “Edit Mode.”
- Look in the absolute top-left corner of your screen. You will see a small + (Plus) button. Tap it.
- The Widget Gallery will slide up from the bottom of the screen.
Choosing and Sizing Your Widget
The Widget Gallery is highly organized. At the very top, Apple will suggest several smart widgets based on your daily habits. Below that is a list of every single app installed on your phone that currently supports widgets (including third-party apps like Spotify or Google Maps).
- Scroll through the list and tap on an app (for example, Weather).
- You will now see a preview of the widget. Most widgets come in three different sizes: a small square (takes up the space of 4 apps), a medium rectangle (takes up 8 apps), and a massive large square (takes up half the screen).
- Swipe left and right to view the different size options.
- When you find the size you prefer, tap the blue Add Widget button at the bottom of the screen.
How to Move or Delete a Widget
The new widget will immediately drop onto your Home Screen, likely pushing some of your existing apps out of the way to make room.
While the icons are still jiggling, you can tap and drag the widget around the screen exactly like a normal app icon. You can drag it to the top of the page, the bottom, or even pull it all the way to the right edge to push it onto an entirely different page of your Home Screen.
If you decide you do not like the widget, or if it is taking up too much space, simply tap the minus (-) button in the top-left corner of the jiggling widget, and confirm you want to remove it. (Removing a widget does not delete the actual app from your phone; it only removes the dynamic tile).
Once you are perfectly happy with your new layout, tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen to exit Edit Mode.