The iOS 14 update introduces new widgets to the iPhone. Accessible much more easily than usual, they can now be placed anywhere on your home screen.
The arrival of real Widgets on the iPhone home screen is arguably one of the biggest changes in iOS 14. If they were once relegated to the left page from the lock screen, and only accessible after deploying the action center from the main iPhone page, they are now an integral part of the home screen.
IOS 14 widgets come in three sizes with varying degrees of information, can be placed anywhere on your home screen, and most importantly, can be stacked on top of each other to limit their clutter. Here is everything you need to know to use iOS 14 Widgets properly.
1. Install a widget
Installing a widget on the iOS home screen couldn’t be easier. Tap and hold the screen to activate edit mode. Then press the + button displayed at the top left of the screen to access the list of iOS widgets.
Note in passing that when the screen is in edit mode, you can still access the old Widgets from the left page. With iOS 14, however, developers have an API that allows them to create or update their existing widget to make them compatible with a display on the home screen.
By default, iOS displays a suggestion of widgets that you might be interested in, based on the apps you have installed and which you use the most. Scroll down to access the full list of available widgets. For now, very few third-party applications offer widgets compatible with iOS 14.
If you’re not sure which widget to choose from all the native iOS widgets yet, maybe start with the Smart Stack. This allows you to display a stack of several widgets to scroll from top to bottom, and which are accessible at the appropriate time thanks to the artificial intelligence embedded in your iPhone. Depending on the location, the time, or even your activity, the Smart Battery can display different widgets: News in the morning, the calendar at the time of your appointments, Maps at the time you leave work, etc. .
Each widget in iOS 14 comes in three sizes (small, medium, and large) to scroll left to right, with obviously more information displayed for the larger one. Once you’ve chosen your widget and size, tap Add Widget to add it to the Home screen.
2. Move and edit widgets
Like any icon, the widget placed on your home screen can be moved as desired. Put the home screen in edit mode, and move the widget as you see fit. All application icons displayed around will automatically reposition themselves around it.
If you have chosen the Smart Battery, tap it to access the options. Smart rotation, enabled by default, displays the right widget at the right time, based on your usage patterns. However, you can deactivate this automatic rotation and modify the order of appearance of each of the widgets by using the handles dedicated for this purpose.
In addition, the various elements of this stack can be adjusted. For example, a long press on the Siri Suggestions widget will allow you to indicate to suggest certain shortcuts less often that you deem not very useful, customize the Notes folder to display, or even define a specific city for the Weather forecast.
3. Create your stack of widgets
The native iOS Smart Widget Stack may seem practical, but it may not meet your expectations for the widgets displayed. To avoid multiplying the widgets on the screen, iOS 14 allows you to create your own stacks of Widgets.
To do this, just add your widgets to the screen as you usually do and then, when the home screen is in edit mode, overlay one widget on top of another to create a stack, as you would like. made to create application folders.
You can then, as for a smart stack, activate smart rotation, or change the order of appearance of each widget in the stack.