How to Add Widgets to Your iPhone: A Complete Guide
Widgets are one of the most practical features on iPhone — small, glanceable panels that surface information from your apps without requiring you to open anything. Whether you want to see today's weather, your calendar events, battery levels, or fitness progress at a glance, widgets put that data front and center. Here's how they work and how to add them.
What Are iPhone Widgets?
Widgets are compact app displays that show live or recently updated information directly on your home screen or in the Today View. They're not full apps — they're read-only snapshots that update automatically in the background.
Apple introduced home screen widgets in iOS 14, and they've expanded significantly since. As of iOS 16 and later, widgets can also appear on the Lock Screen, which opened up a whole new layer of customization. iOS 17 and later introduced interactive widgets, meaning you can now take small actions — like marking a reminder complete — without opening the app.
Where Can You Place Widgets on iPhone?
There are three distinct locations where widgets can live on an iPhone:
| Location | Available Since | Widget Type |
|---|---|---|
| Today View (swipe right from home screen) | iOS 8 | Small, medium, large |
| Home Screen | iOS 14 | Small, medium, large, extra-large |
| Lock Screen | iOS 16 | Circular or rectangular (compact) |
Each placement works differently and supports different widget sizes. Not all apps offer widgets for all three locations — many apps support home screen widgets but not Lock Screen widgets, and vice versa.
How to Add Widgets to Your Home Screen
- Long-press on an empty area of your home screen until the icons start jiggling and the Edit button appears in the top-left corner.
- Tap the "+" button in the top-left corner (or tap Edit > Add Widget).
- Browse the widget gallery that appears. You can scroll through suggestions or search for a specific app by name.
- Tap an app to see its available widget styles and sizes. Swipe left or right to preview options.
- Tap "Add Widget" to place it on your home screen.
- Drag it into position, then tap Done in the top-right corner.
Some widgets come in stacked form too — you can create a Smart Stack, which is a layered pile of widgets you swipe through, showing different information throughout the day. To create one manually, drag one widget directly on top of another of the same size.
How to Add Widgets to Your Lock Screen 📱
This feature requires iOS 16 or later.
- Long-press your Lock Screen until the customization options appear.
- Tap Customize, then select Lock Screen.
- You'll see a rectangular area beneath the time — tap it to open the widget picker.
- Select up to four small widgets (or two larger rectangular ones, depending on the app).
- Tap outside the editor and then tap Done to save.
Lock Screen widgets are intentionally small and compact. They're designed for at-a-glance info — think activity rings, upcoming calendar events, temperature, or battery percentage.
How to Add Widgets to the Today View
- Swipe right from your home screen (or Lock Screen) to open the Today View.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Edit.
- Tap the "+" button to add new widgets, or reorder existing ones.
- Tap Done when finished.
Today View is useful if you prefer keeping your home screen clean but still want quick access to widget data.
Which Apps Have Widgets?
Any app that includes widget support will appear in the widget gallery automatically after installation. Apple's built-in apps — Calendar, Weather, Clock, Reminders, Maps, Fitness, Photos, News, and others — all include widgets out of the box.
Third-party apps must be built with widget support by their developers. Most major apps (Spotify, Gmail, Todoist, Fantastical, and many others) now offer widgets, but not every app does. If an app doesn't appear in the widget gallery, it simply hasn't added widget support yet.
Customizing and Editing Existing Widgets
Once a widget is placed, you can often customize what it shows:
- Long-press a widget on your home screen and tap Edit Widget.
- Depending on the app, you may be able to choose which account, list, location, or data source the widget displays.
Not all widgets are customizable this way — some simply display default information with no options. This varies entirely by app.
Variables That Affect Your Widget Experience 🔧
How useful and available widgets are depends on several factors specific to your situation:
- iOS version — Lock Screen widgets require iOS 16+; interactive widgets require iOS 17+. Older iPhones that can't update past iOS 15 won't have access to these features.
- Which apps you use — widget availability is entirely app-dependent. An app you rely on may or may not support widgets.
- Widget size vs. screen real estate — smaller iPhone models (like the iPhone SE) have limited screen space, which affects how many widgets fit comfortably without crowding.
- How frequently you check your phone — someone who picks up their phone dozens of times a day will get more value from home screen widgets than someone who rarely glances at it.
- Battery and background app refresh settings — widgets update using background refresh. If this is disabled for an app, its widget may show stale data.
The right combination of widget placements, sizes, and apps depends entirely on your workflow, your iPhone model, and which iOS version you're running — and that balance looks different for every user.