Still using old-style widgets from before iOS 14? We have bad news, because in iOS 18 they are coming to an end. Here’s what you need to know.
Old widgets from iOS 13 and earlier
The widgets in iOS 17 are quite advanced. They’re interactive, come in different sizes, and can be placed anywhere on your home screen. That wasn’t always the case. iOS 13 and earlier had widgets, but they were much more spartan. What’s more, you could only place them in the so-called ‘Today’ view – the screen that appears when you swipe left from your primary home screen.
Even today there are still quite a few apps that only support this old form of widgets. You can recognize them by the fact that they are always at the bottom left of your Widget screen and also have a slightly different appearance.
Widgets are disappearing in iOS 18
In the latest beta of iOS 18, something remarkable has now been discovered. The old widgets are gone, and can no longer be added. From now on, only the new type of widgets are allowed.
Do you still have old-school widgets? It is possible that a new widget already exists for the app in question that you just need to add. To do this, hold your finger on an empty spot on the Widget screen for a while and tap the plus sign at the top. Search for the app for which you want to add a new widget.
Is that widget not there? It may be an old app. Has the developer already released a completely new version that you have to install from the App Store? If not, you will only have two options with iOS 18: 1) ask the developer if he is planning to build a new widget, or 2) look for an alternative app that has a similar widget.
More news in iOS 18
In addition to this modernization of the widgets, iOS 18 gets a bunch of other features. For example, you can customize your home screen even more to your liking, the Photos app gets a complete makeover and a bunch of AI features celebrate their introduction with the launch of Apple Intelligence.
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