Possibly the most recognizable and iconic feature of theAndroid operating systemis its robust support for home screen widgets. Widgets are mini applets that live side-by-side withyour app icons, and they provide a mix of glanceable information and actionable inputs.
For example, a weather widget might periodically update local weather conditions directly onto your home screen, and tapping on it will launch the weather application itself. A to-do list widget, on the other hand, might let you cross out completed tasks without ever needing to launch the full app to do so.
Considering how useful widgets are, it’s worth experimenting with them and placing them directly ontoyour own Android phone’shome screen. Widgets are the perfect way to boost your productivity, so here’s how to easily get them up and running on your device.
These 5 Android widgets level-up my Android phone
I always add these widgets first when I get a new Android phone and use them to the fullest.
How to add widgets to your home screen
The widget-adding process has been streamlined over the years
To get started with widgets, you’ll want to find an empty space on your home screen. From here, follow these steps:
Regardless of theAndroid brand or manufacturer skinyour phone is running, the process is the same – the method for adding widgets has essentially been standardized over the years.
The Google Play Storeis filled with widgetsof all kinds, which can be downloaded and installed just like any other app on your phone. Many of the most popular apps you might already be using – such as Spotify or Snapchat – actually come with widgets out of the box.
You might be surprised to find some particularly useful, unique, or even obscure widgets already installed onto your phone, waiting for you to promote them to home screen status.
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Widgets have become an operating system mainstay
The convenience provided by widgets make them an invaluable inclusion across all modern operating systems
Android may have pioneered the concept of mobile home screen widgets, but the concept is actually much older than Google’s operating system.Windows Vista, which was released in 2006, had an equivalent feature called Gadgets, which remained supported throughout the life cycle of the legendaryWindows 7desktop OS.
Gadgets were eventually replaced byLive Tilesin 2012’sWindows 8, which then eventually gave way to the current widgets solution introduced alongsideWindows 11in 2021.
Apple, on the other hand, first introduced widgets to the Macall the way back in 2005, coinciding with the release of Mac OS X 10.4 ‘Tiger.’ More recently, the iPhone, the iPad, and modern macOSreceived rejuvenated supportfor widgets starting in the fall of 2020.
The utility of widgets is undeniable, and no operating system has supported their inclusionas consistently and wholeheartedlyas Android has. If you aren’t already taking advantage of the glanceable information they provide, there’s no better time than now to jump into the diverse world of widgets.
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