How to use the new iOS 14 widgets

The new home screen widgets in iOS 14

Okay, let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Swiping in the left of your home screen, you’re greeted with suggestions for the updated widgets in iOS 14, that show you at a glance the information you need. They come in three sizes: a square one, a rectangular one, and for some apps, a slightly larger square is available as well. Of course, not all apps have widgets, but more and more will start offering them as developers update their apps to benefit from the new iOS 14 features.

Adding and removing widgets in iOS 14

In order to do that, you have to get into edit mode. With a long press on any empty space on your iPhone home screen and then tapping the "+" sign gives you the possibility to look around and check out what is available, both for Apple apps and for third-party apps.

How to add a new home screen widget in iOS 14:

1. Tap and hold (long-press) on any empty space on your home screen (you can also long-press on an app icon and select “Edit home screen")
   
2. In the right-hand corner of your screen, tap on the “+”
3. You will see a list of all the available widgets in iOS 14
4. Scroll through the list or just search an app to see if it has a widget
5. Pick a widget, swiping right gives you different size options
6. After that, tap on “Add Widget”
7. Drag it around to best situate it on your home screen

Here’s how to remove a home screen widget in iOS 14:

1. Tap and hold (long-press) on the widget you want to remove
2. You have a red sign “Remove Widget”
3. You can also do that from “Edit Home Screen”: just click on the minus sign in the left-hand corner of the widget

Smart Stack widgets in iOS 14

A cool new feature of iOS 14 is the Smart Stack widget feature. The widgets in the Smart Stack will change turns automatically to show you the most relevant information throughout the day. You can also easily flip through them yourself as well.

Here’s how to add a Smart Stack widget:

1. Long-press on any empty space on your home screen
2. Tap the “+” in the right-hand corner of your screen
3. Scroll down until you reach Smart Stack
4. Tap on it and then tap on “Add Widget”
5. You can now move it around your screen