How do u add a widget to your home screen

Frequently Asked Questions

iOS 16

I installed iOS 16 and all my widgets turned gray, what happened?

There is an issue with the iOS 16 update where certain photo widgets are being shown as gray boxes. I have found the source of the issue and am actively working on a fix, which should hopefully come out very soon.

What I've found often works to get them fixed is to open the affected widget and then reselect the photo you want shown. This typically gets it to appear again. I'm working to see if I can get a better solution, but for now that is my best workaround.

I installed iOS 16 and don't see Widgetsmith in the Lock Screen widget options

It looks like there is a bug in iOS 16 where right after install it doesn't correctly pick up lock screen widgets right away. A reboot can often fix this.

If not, as a workaround several users have found that if they open the main Apple Settings app, then open General > Language & Region > Calendar. Switch it to another calendar and then back to your preferred one. This seems to prompt iOS to rebuild its widget list which makes Widgetsmith appear.

When I installed the iOS 16.1 Beta, all my widgets stopped updating.

There is a known issue in iOS 16.1 where Apple is blocking widgets from reading data and so they get stuck and will no longer update. I haven't found a way to work around this yet.

General

How do I add widgets to my home screen?

Here’s how to get your widgets onto your home screen:

1. Customize the widget in Widgetsmith
2. Go to your home screen
3. Long press anywhere on the screen to get into “jiggle mode”
4. Press the “+” button to add a widget
5. Search “Widgetsmith” in widgets
6. Select the size widget you have customized and press “Add Widget”
7. Tap on the widget and then select the name of your custom widget from the list
8. While you are still in jiggle mode you can rearrange your widgets on your home screen
9. Tap “done” when you are finished.

TIP: Rename your widget to make it easier to find when you add it to your homescreen.

Can I change the first day of the week on my calendar?

Open Widgetsmith → Settings → Calendar Settings. There you can select whichever day of the week you’d like to begin with.

Do you have Widgetsmith available in other languages?

Thanks for your interest in having Widgetsmith in another language other than English, but we aren’t able to localize the app into any other languages at this time. Sorry about that!

What do the weather icons mean in the large widget type?

The top left number is the temperature. The large icon on the top right is the current condition (cloudy, sunny etc). Then there are four small icons underneath: in order from left to right there is % precipitation (raincloud), UV index (thermometer and sun), wind speed (wind icon) and percent humidity (water droplet).

How do I delete Widgets I don't want anymore?

While on the main widget list screen, swipe from right to left along the widget you want to delete. Then press the "Delete" button that appears.

Aesthetics & Personalization

How do I use the aesthetic options?

To apply an aesthetic, open the Widgetsmith app and then select the existing widget you want to change, or press “add widget” to create a new one. To customize the look, press the widget and scroll down to the “Aesthetic/Theme” title. There you will see a variety of themes to choose from. Once selected, you can also press “customize theme” to further personalize the background, font, tint color, border and also add artwork such as the fall themed pumpkins (some artwork is for premium subscribers only).

Once you have the style you want, you can choose whether to “apply to this widget only” or to “update theme everywhere”. If you update theme everywhere, then every widget you select with this theme moving forward will have your same customized look.

Can I change the size or shape of my widget?

Yes and no. There are three sizes to choose from – small (square), medium (horizontal rectangle) and large (square). We are confined to those three sizes and shapes by the iOS platform. The iPad also includes an Extra Large size in iOS 15.

Can I remove the “Widgetsmith” label at the bottom of my widget on my homescreen?

Unfortunately, no. Apple’s iOS requires the app name to be listed underneath each app and widget. Sorry about that! On the iPad this label is hidden by iOS.

How do I add custom colors? Do you have RGB and HEX?

Any widget type that has a tile labeled “tint color” or “background color” within the aesthetic/theme tile is customizable to be whatever color you would like. You can select from our set of pre-determined colors, or select “custom” to pick a specific color on the spectrum by running your finger along the color chooser. To save this color to be used later, click the “+” icon underneath the color chooser and it will save up to six personalized colors for you to apply in all of your widgets.

Can I use Widgetsmith to change my other apps' icon?

Photos

Can I use animated GIFs or videos in widgets?

Unfortunately not. iOS doesn't permit any animation or video content in widgets. They must be completely static.

How do I change my photo in the widget?

In the Style chooser, the app has multiple different photo options. You can choose a photo in a variety of formats or select “Photos in Album” which will keep switching between pictures from this album throughout the day (once every 15 mins or so). For each of these you select which photo is displayed in the "Selected Photo" area.

How do I set up a photos widget?

Widgetsmith lets you set a specific photo or album or for display on the widget. If you select “Photos in Album” the widget will keep switching between pictures from this album throughout the day. If you select “Photo” you can choose one picture that will be a static image on your widget.

To setup a single photo widget:

• Open “Widgetsmith”
• Tap on the size of widget you want to use
• Tap on the “Default Widget” option to edit it
• Select “Photo” for a plain photo widget, or one of the other options if you want overlays.
• Make sure to allow the app to “access all photos” so that the app can show you your pictures!
• Once you pick the type of photo you want, a new tile called “Selected Photo” will appear at the bottom of the screen.
• Press “Choose Photo” to see all of your camera roll pictures. You can search or filter within that screen just like in the Photos app to find the image you want.
• You can swipe and pinch the photo to change how it is aligned within the widget
• Select the image and then hit save. You can also change the name of the widget using “tap to rename” so that you’ll be able to remember which widget you made when placing it on your home screen.

Troubleshooting

Widgetsmith doesn't show up in the list of widgets when I try to add it?

Sorry about this. Sometimes iOS doesn't correctly detect which apps include widgets and so misses Widgetsmith right after it was installed. This almost always is resolved by restarting your iPhone.

Why do I see a grey box rather than my widget content?

Sometimes you’ll see a grey box when the content you customized is not accessible. Check to make sure that you didn’t accidentally delete the widget you configured in Widgetsmith. If you did, just hard press on the widget, select “Edit Widget” and choose a new widget from the list of widget options (press the blue word). If you don’t see any widgets you want to use, you can always configure a new one in Widgetsmith.

If you have installed a widget to your home screen and it’s just a grey box with no text, it is an iOS bug, try restarting your phone.

I see a black box where my photo widget was. What happened?

If you see a black box where your content should be, it means the app doesn’t have access to your photo library any more. Try opening Widgetsmith and reselecting the photo. If that doesn’t work, select the app “settings” - “manage permissions” - “manage photos” - then select “all photos” in the “allow photos access” area.

My Time/Clock widget is stuck, what can I do?

Unfortunately, sometimes iOS stops updating widgets. When this happens opening and closing Widgetsmith or restarting your iPhone typically gets it started again.

Widgetsmith Premium

How do I remove ads in Widgetsmith?

Showing a small ad in the app allows you to use Widgetsmith completely free with no charge. If you do want to remove ads, just become a Premium Subscriber and that will remove ads in the app as well as giving you access to great additional features like weather data and beautifully crafted custom themes. Thanks for your support!

Is Widgetsmith free?

Yes! Most of the features of the app are completely free. If you would like to become a Premium Subscriber, that will provide you with additional features (like access to weather data) and will support the continued development of the app. We hope to add more premium features soon.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Sorry to hear that the subscription isn’t providing enough value for you! The app is dependent on subscribers for us to continue to improve and develop the app (and subscriptions will give you awesome additional features like weather and tide data, with more perks to come!) If you do want to cancel, open the “settings” inside Widgetsmith and then select “Manage Membership” -> “Manage Subscription”. This will allow you to cancel your membership.