How to Use Widgets in iOS 8 (Video)
It seems that changing the keyboard isn’t the only feature to have made its way over to iOS in iOS 8. Widgets are finally here, just not where you might expect them.
Unlike Android that has widgets you can place on the home screen, Apple has opted to put them in a little less obvious place –the notification center.
Now, widgets in case you aren’t familiar, differ from apps in that they serve their function or bring some information (i.e. the weather, stock information, etc.) to you without having to open them. Simply go to where the widgets are and see what you need at a glance and be done.
These little gadgets can actually be pretty useful and so it is nice to see them on iOS even if just in the notification center.
If you pull down the notification center and tap Today, you’ll most likely see some widgets that apple has already added for you: weather, calendar, stocks, and so on.
Where are these new widgets coming from? Well, if the developer of an app created a widget for their app and you update to the new version of the app or download any app that has a widget bundled with it, it will just automatically show up in the list of widgets you can add here.
To manage these widgets and add new ones, follow the steps below:
I. Install an App with Widgets
1. You can either use any current app you have that has widgets enabled or do a search in the App Store for “widgets” to find some clever widget only apps that you might like.
2. Install the app.
II. Enable the Widget
1. Pull down the notification center from the top of the screen and tap Today at the top.
2. Scroll down to the bottom and tap Edit.
3. Tap the red minus icon to remove it.
4. Tap the green plus icon to add a widget.
Now since this is a relatively new features don’t expect all your favorite apps to have a widget but, as with any new iOS feature you can pretty much guarantee there are developers being yelled at to work on the new widget for XYZ company as we speak. So check back to the store in the coming weeks to see if there’s an update to the app that had a shiny new widget bundled with it.
