The iOS 14 update comes to iPhone with many customization options. Since its launch last week, we’ve seen users show off a home screen makeover with custom app icons and widgets on the home screen. Finally you can add resizable app widgets to home screen. The customization options don’t end there. iOS 14 introduces a new category of apps that help you create custom widgets based on your preference and style.
Summary
1. The widgetist
2. Color Widgets
3. Widgeridoo
4. Usage
5. Widget Wizard
Animate Your Home Screen with Widgets
To be clear, you can always use widgets from installed apps on iPhone. But they may feel limited in terms of customization to show information. Widget apps spawn here with tons of options to create a widget that collects all the relevant information and matches the home screen wallpaper and app icons.
Since the iOS 14 update last week, I’ve tried several widget apps to create custom widgets on my iPhone XR. Every app has its pros and cons. Among them, we rounded up the five best iPhone apps for creating personalized widgets. Lets start.
Widgetsmith is comfortably at the top of the list, with a plethora of customization options such as font, size, background color, and more. It starts with a large collection of highly customizable widgets. From dates to weather, reminders to astronomy. It allows you to play with many options. Each can be precisely adjusted to best suit your desired function and appearance.
You can add information to a widget using eight categories from the list below.
- Weather forecast
- calendar
- world time
- reminders
- Health
- Astronomy
- Tide
- Photos
You can program this widget set to appear dynamically on your home screen and follow the rules you define. For example, a particular widget might show the weather first thing in the morning, then your calendar throughout your workday, then the Activity ring might move to your progress as you complete your day. Simply select ‘Add Scheduled Widget’ and define a time interval for a widget to appear at a specific time.
This allows you to take full advantage of every slot on your home screen. My favorite feature is the Apple Health integration. You can add Apple Health event and customize it with other information using Widgetsmith widgets.
Widgetsmith includes an optional monthly or annual premium subscription. Price starts at $2 a month.
Download Widgetsmith
2. Color Widgets
As the name suggests, Color Widget is all about beautiful colors and gradient effects in the widget. As for customization, you can change the background color, theme, font and even set a photo as a widget. I like the little detail that the app adds the remaining battery percentage in the top left corner of the widget.
What Color Widgets is missing is third-party integration like Apple Health, Reminders, and the Photos app. You cannot add information to a widget from these applications.
Most widgets are completely free to use. Mostly it will be fine to use them on the iPhone home screen. Some of the widgets come with a Premium sticker of $4 as a one-time payment.
If you’re comfortable with the basics like time, date, day, photo, and battery percentage, Color Widgets is worth a try.
Download Color Widgets
3. Widgeridoo
Widgetridoo is all about the flexibility to customize widgets on the go. The application follows a modular concept and divides the entire widget into several blocks. You can drag and drop and move the blocks for a unique look.
Widgetridoo comes with many built-in widgets divided into categories like Birthdays, Calendar, Posts and more. If you look closely, you can view the block preview from the category icon itself.
Tap and hold a block from the widget screen and select Change. You can replace the block with other information such as pictures, music, text, birthdays, health data and more.
The basic functionality is free, but if you want more customization options, you’ll need to purchase the Pro version for $4.
Download Widgetridoo
4. Usage
Usage, as the name suggests, is a tool to monitor your device activity, data usage, connection speed, and more. With the usage app, you can track data usage tracking, memory allocation, storage usage, real-time network connection monitoring, battery status and detailed features of device hardware directly from the home screen.
There are not many options for configuring the widget. But you do get a long list of widget styles and sizes for customization.
Among them, my favorite and most used widget is Data Period Limit. You can see how much data you have used and how much data is left from the main screen.
It is free to use, but I recommend purchasing the pro version for $2 (One-time payment) to enjoy more customization options and features.
Download Usage
The Widget Wizard offers Combo widgets that let you choose which data you want to see together in one widget.
Widget Wizard doesn’t support as many data types as Widgetsmith, but like Widgeridoo, it does support multiple content blocks in a single widget. The app mainly offers three types of widgets – The One, The Double and The Triple.
All three styles of widgets offer three sizes, and you can add details such as health statistics, calendar entries, and reminders to a widget of your preference.
The Widget Wizard costs $2 from the App Store.
Download Widget Wizard
Animate Your Home Screen with Widgets
Customizing the iPhone’s home screen is very important in iOS 14. We all have our personal preference for designing a custom widget. Using apps like Widgetsmith and Color Widgets, you can easily have widgets customized for you. Go ahead, try these apps and show off your perfect home screen in the comments section below.
Next: iPhone also supports Picture-in-Picture mode with apps like Netflix, Prime, and YouTube. Read the post below to know all the details about Picture-in-Picture mode on iPhone.
