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    Phone & Tablet
    Beginner
    3 min read 5 stepsApril 21, 2026Verified April 2026

    How to Add and Customize Widgets on Your iPhone

    Widgets show useful information — weather, calendar, photos, battery, news — on your Home Screen without opening any app. Here's how to add and arrange them.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Phone & Tablet
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    3 min read
    Steps
    5
    Topics covered
    widgets
    iPhone
    Home Screen
    customization
    iOS

    In this guide (5 steps):

    1. 1.Enter Home Screen editing mode
    2. 2.Browse the widget gallery
    3. 3.Add a widget to your Home Screen
    4. 4.Customize a widget's content
    5. 5.Remove a widget you don't want
    1

    Enter Home Screen editing mode

    ~18s
    Touch and hold a blank spot on your Home Screen (an area with no app icons) for about 2 seconds. The icons will start to wiggle and a toolbar will appear at the top. This is editing mode. Tap the "+" button in the top left corner to open the widget gallery.
    2

    Browse the widget gallery

    ~21s
    The widget gallery shows all available widgets, organized by app. Scroll through the list — you'll see Weather, Calendar, Clock, Photos, Reminders, Maps, Battery, News, and many app-specific widgets. Tap any app name to see the widgets it offers. Most widgets come in three sizes: small (2x2 grid squares), medium (4x2), and large (4x4). Swipe left and right to see the different sizes.
    3

    Add a widget to your Home Screen

    ~24s
    When you find a widget you like, tap "Add Widget" at the bottom of the preview screen. The widget drops onto your Home Screen in editing mode. It may land in an empty spot or push other icons around. You can drag it to exactly where you want it by holding and dragging while still in editing mode. Place it in the top area of your screen for maximum visibility.
    4

    Customize a widget's content

    ~22s
    Some widgets are customizable — for example, a Weather widget can show a specific city, or a Photos widget can show photos from a specific album. To customize: while still in editing mode, tap the widget once. A customization screen may appear. Or exit editing mode (tap Done or tap a blank area), then touch and hold the widget itself and choose "Edit Widget" from the popup menu.
    5

    Remove a widget you don't want

    ~21s
    To remove a widget: touch and hold the Home Screen to enter editing mode. Tap the minus (-) button that appears in the corner of the widget. Confirm "Remove." The widget disappears but the app itself stays on your phone — removing a widget never deletes the app. You can always add the widget back later from the widget gallery.

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    Widgets are small boxes on your iPhone's Home Screen that show live information from your apps without you having to open anything. A weather widget shows today's forecast at a glance. A calendar widget shows your next appointment. A battery widget shows how much charge your iPhone and AirPods have. A Photos widget cycles through your favorite pictures.

    Widgets were greatly improved in iOS 14 and have gotten even better in iOS 16 and 17. You can now place them freely on your Home Screen alongside apps, not just in a sidebar. In iOS 17, there are also Interactive Widgets that you can tap to perform actions directly (like checking off a reminder or playing/pausing music) without opening the app.

    Adding widgets is done in a visual editing mode that Apple calls "jiggle mode" — when you hold down on the Home Screen, all the icons start shaking (jiggling). In this mode you can add, move, and delete widgets.

    For seniors and anyone who wants key information visible at a glance, widgets are especially valuable. Having the weather, your calendar, and your medication reminders visible every time you unlock your phone means you never miss important information even if you forget to check an app.

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    widgets
    iPhone
    Home Screen
    customization
    iOS

    Official Resources

    Apple Support — iPhoneGoogle Help — AndroidSamsung Support

    Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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