The Home Screen on an Android smartphone is probably the most underutilized space. Most users just fill up the Home Screen with some of the frequently used apps, the clock, and a Google search bar. Believing they’ve made full use of their 21st-century smartphone. But that is not the case. If you want to make the most of your android phone, you need to install app widgets. This way you optimize the small screen of your phone to the maximum, gain information at one glance and be productive. A large number of the apps available on the Play Store have widgets of their own available. These can be easily downloaded and added to your screen.
Widgets are an essential feature in today’s fast-moving era. It is a feature that allows you an “at a glance” view of what’s going on inside an app, without having to actually open it. They display relevant information, glanceable content, letting you choose if you’d like more information or not. Different apps have different widgets available like control widgets, information widgets, collection widgets. Etc. You can pick and choose from the Play Store what you would like to add to your Home Screen.
The Pros And Cons Of App Widgets
Some of the pros are:
- Increases productivity
- Saves battery life
- Can be a source of motivation
- They make the most of the screen space
- You get to see everything at one glance
Some of the cons are:
- Can lead to screen lag
- The language barrier between the web and the widget
- Can potentially slow down the phone
As you can notice, the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Widgets aren’t all rainbows and unicorns. Like full Android apps, sometimes things go wrong. But most of these cons and other issues that arise can be dealt with. There are lots of articles available online to help you with troubleshooting the glitches.
How To Add A Widget To Your Home Screen
- Press and hold the empty space on your home screen and a pop-up menu will show up.
- In the Pop-up menu, select the “Widgets” option.
- From the available options choose the widget you’d like to add to your Home Screen. Press on the chosen widget, hold and drop it where you’d like it to be on your Home Screen.
- Once the widget is in place, you can resize it as per your liking long pressing and dragging it.
- If you’re not happy with the widget, you can easily remove it by dragging and dropping it onto the remove pop-up area.
Do keep in mind that the process for adding or removing widgets varies slightly from one Android skin to another but the main steps remain the same. Now that you’ve successfully added a widget to the home screen, you can make some changes to its settings by tapping on the widget. It’s important to note that this option isn’t available on all widgets, as not all widgets support customization.
Top 6 Must-Have Widgets
There are a plethora of widgets available for you to pick from. Here is a list of widgets we’ve created, that will help you stay motivated, increase your productivity, encourage a healthier lifestyle, and overall help you lead an efficient and smooth flowing life.
QualityTime
The widget of this app displays your screen time as well as how many times you’ve unlocked your phone throughout the day. Such an app can be extremely useful considering the extremely hectic and digital lives we live in today’s society. We’re constantly on our phones doing one thing or the other. We often fail to realize how much time we actually spend on our phones. When often it is quite an unhealthy amount. The first step to breaking any habit is making sure you’re self-aware and this widget can help you with that.
BlockerX
BlockerX is the best porn blocking app you will find out there. If you’re someone looking to quit the habit of watching porn too often, then this the app for you. The BlockerX app along with blocking porn on your device also allows you to have an accountability partner to keep you in check. But apart from that this app also comes with many more uses. The app provides two great widgets. There is a streak counter that can also be used as a habit tracker that can help you either quit or start a new habit. There is also another great widget called “Block me” where you can pick a duration of time where no app except calls/SMS will be available on your phone. It is a very useful feature that can provide you the “time off” we all need from our hectic daily lives.
Sticky Widget
This is the most basic of the widgets. It is a multipurpose widget that you can use however you please. It is basically a sticky note that sits on your Home Screen holding whatever information you’d like. The widget sits on your Home Screen, and when you tap on it, it opens the app to allow you to type a simple note. When you close the app, the widget updates with whatever you wrote. You can also control things like the font or color, but the overall simplicity is what makes it a part of this list. You can use this to wither list down important tasks or leave yourselves little notes of motivation to keep you going throughout the day.
Headspace
Headspace is a meditation and wellness app that is widely loved by people all across the world. If you’re new to the world of meditation, then this is the perfect app for you. The Headspace widget adjusts throughout the day and shows different activities and exercises that are relevant to your daily life. From morning meditation to sleepcasts, it’s got you covered the entire day. Since one of the keys to staying productive is being healthy, a routine of mindfulness can help.
Todoist
Todoist has some of the most gorgeous widgets of any to-do list app. The free version comes with most of the basic features, including tasks, due dates, and some organizational features. The app has been beautifully designed, with aesthetic colours and is bound to make your Home Screen look amazing. It is good to be organized, but isn’t it a bonus if planning and organization can be made aesthetic?
UCCW
This is a fan favourite as it allows you to create your own widgets. This is a great one to install if you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of widgets. Using UCCW you can create your own widget, add-in functions, and then add it to the home screen. You can also download and import other people’s widget designs. There is even an option to export your designs as an APK file and upload it to Google Play if you want to. It takes a bit of work to get everything just right, but it’s an excellent choice once you get everything the way you want.
The possibilities are endless. These are only some ways in which you can use widgets to lead a more efficient and productive life. Do you have any favourite widget that you believe is life changing? Tell us all about it in the comments section below!
