The need for home screen widgets on iPhone has become very clear since the release of iOS 14. Over the last few months, many third-party applications have added home screen widget support but only one app has stood out: Widgetsmith.
Widgetsmith is a must-have application if you are planning to personalize the aesthetic of your new iPhone.
Widgetsmith has been derived from David Smith, who is a famous developer also involved with the Apple Watch and iPhone apps including Watchsmith, Pedometer++ and Sleep++. The main idea behind Widgetsmith is to let you create custom and personalized widgets, to be added to your iOS 14 home screen.
Here, in this article, we will see how you can use Widgetsmith. The Widgetsmith app could be downloaded from the App Store for free.
Getting Started With Widgetsmith
The ease with which you can use Widgetsmith is one of the things that makes it stand out. By providing you with ready-made customizable templates, the app keeps everything very simple. It is undoubtedly one of the best apps for creating iPhone widgets.
A number of widgets could be created using Widgetsmith. There are different categories available for you like time, photos, date, step-counting, health, etc. You can get Weather and tides under a monthly subscription of $1.99 monthly subscription, and an annual $19.99. Getting this subscription will also unlock additional widget themes and remove in-app ads.
You might have to grant several permissions to the app, to start using Widgetsmith. These permissions include giving access to your calendar, your location, reminders, health, and photos.
Just open the app, then tap on Settings and tap Authorize on all the individual permissions to give them access.
To make sure that the app functions smoothly, it is important that you give the app all these permissions. But, if you don't plan to use a particular feature, then you don't have to give the related permission that relies on its data. For example, if you do not want to use the health widget, you don't have to give the app access to the health app.
Making a Widget Using Widgetsmith
All thanks to the app's simple interface, creating custom widgets using Widgetsmith is a cake-walk.
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From the App Store, Download Widgetsmith and open it.
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To select the size of the widget you want to create, tap Small #1, Medium #1, or Large #1.
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To rename your widget appropriately, just tap [Image size] #1. Now you will be able to differentiate your custom widgets easily.
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Then, just tap Default Widget. You will be taken to the widget selection page. Here you have to choose the type of widget you want to create and select any of the available styles.
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Then, just tap to choose your desired widget and style. The Photos widget section is at the top of the page; you can scroll down for more categories.
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To customize your widget, tap Aesthetic/Theme at the bottom.
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To personalize your widget further, select a premade aesthetic and tap the Customize Theme button.
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Tap on Save to finish.
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You will be asked if you want to Apply Changes to the Theme or Widget.
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In the widget renaming page, tap on Save to complete.
If you want to create a new widget of a similar size you don't have to edit your custom widget. Doing so would mean that you will be directly editing your existing widget. Instead, you can just go to Widgetsmith and tap on Add [Widget Size] Widget to create a new one from scratch.
Now, let's see how you can add the custom app to your home screen.
Adding a Widget to Your iPhone Home Screen
After you have made your custom widget, it is now time to put the widget on your home screen.
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Long-press on your wallpaper and launch the Jiggle mode or you could also press on any app icon and select Edit Home Screen.
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Tap on the plus (+) button at the top.
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Then just scroll down to the app list and select Widgetsmith. Or you could also use the widget search bar to find it.
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Now, select the size of your custom widget. If there is only one widget in your selected size, then the widget will automatically be added as soon as you select the size. If not, you can just continue with the process.
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Tap Add Widget. A blank widget grid will be added on your home screen in Jiggle mode, now you can use Jiggle mode to move your custom widgets wherever you want on the home screen.
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Tap the empty Widgetsmith widget on your home screen, while still in Jiggle mode, to launch the app.
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Adjacent to the Widget on the popup, tap on the widget size. All your custom widgets that can fit in the empty grid will now be displayed by Widgetsmith.
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From the list, select your custom widget and go back to your home screen. Now you will find your custom widget occupying the previously blank widget template.
So now, it is pretty clear that if you want to create custom widgets as fast as possible, Widgetsmith is the best app at your disposal. You don't have to be a tech nerd to create the widgets of your liking on this app.
