Do you know what a widget is? The word is an abbreviation for the English “window gadget” and is, according to the Swedish Data Term Group, a graphical user interface component. Typically refers to a small window that is constantly updated and displayed on a computer’s desktop or in a mobile device, without the user having to activate the window.
You can add widgets of various kinds to the start screen of your mobile yourself. It can be things that you want to be able to see immediately without launching the corresponding app, such as weather, calendar, email, to-do list or something else.
Many of the pre-installed apps in Android support widgets and there are others you can download if you have a special need. Adding them is not that difficult and of course you can have several. Just keep in mind that they use a little more battery, since they are active all the time, and can also cost you data.
As usual, it may differ slightly between different Android versions and different manufacturers. We show Android 7.0 standard.
1. Point
Hold your finger on any free space on the home screen (do not touch an icon) until a zoomed-out image of the screen appears, with some options below.
2. Widgets
Click on the choice Widgets to access the options available in your device. Click on the one you want and hold your finger.
3. Place
Drag the widget to the location where you want it. Other things change places to make room. Release when you are satisfied.
4. On site
Your widget (in our example Timetable) is in place. If you want to remove it again, hold your finger on it and drag it Remove at the top.
Two lightning fast calendars
Most calendar apps have a widget that displays your appointments on the home screen. As a rule, they are quite messy, and if you want a compact and more manageable calendar widget, you can choose Calendar Widget: Agenda or Jorte. They have a layout reminiscent of a traditional calendar.
Count the days until vacation
Many widgets have only one task. Countdown Days (Countdowns) calculates, for example, how long it is until a date of your choice. The number of days is displayed as a nice icon that you place anywhere.
Coolest weather app
To get a quick overview of the weather, you can install 1Weathers. It gives a neat and stripped-down picture of the weather in the coming days. There are a total of twelve widgets with different looks and content.
Customizable weather
Another great weather widget is called Weawow, and the point is that it’s very customizable. You can choose between anything from a minimal icon showing the current weather to a comprehensive page with all imaginable information.
Better control of the battery
Our mobile phones often have poor battery life, and if you want to have better control, the Batteri HD app can help you. It shows a series of details about the battery, and in its widget you choose what to display. For example, you can see how much battery life you have left if you watch a video, surf or have your mobile phone in standby mode.
Shortcut to settings
Another problem with mobile phones is that they can have unclear settings menus for sound and screen brightness. If it applies to your mobile, you can install the Slider Widget, which collects all settings in an elegant toolbar.
Show current week
A small but smart widget is called Current week. As the name suggests, it does nothing but show the current weekly issue.
TV table in your pocket
Nothing wrong with Netflix, but sometimes regular flat screen TV is better. To keep track of the table, you can download Tv.nu and add its widget. You then see what is being shown on TV right now. If you register, you can choose which channels to show.
Faster wifi connection
A smart way to surf faster is to connect the phone to a Wi-Fi network instead of surfing the mobile network. You can do this through your phone’s settings menu, but it’s faster if you install Simple WiFi Widget and add a widget.
It allows you to connect in one click, and you always see the name and status of the network.