Widgets have been available on the iPhone’s Home Screen since iOS 14, but many of us don’t take full advantage of them, despite certain apps’ pleas for us to add them to our Home Screens. Widgets may seem like bigger distractions, taking up screen real estate and demanding our attention, but in reality they can offer helpful information at a glance and allow us to interact with the apps without fully opening them or getting lost in other app notifications as we scroll to find one. Here are the best ways to utilize widgets to keep your display streamlined and efficient, plus a few team favorite favorites for you to try out.
WHY USE WIDGETS?
Widgets display helpful information from an app at a glance right on your Home or Lock Screen without having to even open the app. Personally, I am a huge fan of widgets and use them every day. You can download apps or use Apple native widgets, both of which offer an amazing selection to choose from. Here are some favorite widgets from iPhone Life Feature Writer Rachel Needell.
BEST THIRD-PARTY WIDGETS
Kindle (Free) I love the Kindle widget because it clearly displays the cover, title, and author of the book I’m reading at any given time. It makes it easily accessible and is a great reminder to get reading again.
Spotify (Free) I love the Spotify widget, specifically the largest one because it allows me access to my most recent playlist, as well as my favorite albums or most frequented playlists without having to open the app.
This story is from the iPhone Life Spring 2024 edition of iPhone Life Magazine.
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This story is from the iPhone Life Spring 2024 edition of iPhone Life Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
LOCK YOUR APPLE ID WITH A PHYSICAL KEY
Security keys are physical items that can be used to verify your identity when logging into your Apple ID. If you are planning to use security keys, make sure you have at least two. Apple requires you use two, so that if you lose one, you will have another as a backup. At iPhone Life, a brand we recommend is the Yubico Yubikey 5Ci ($75).
IT'S TIME TO USE YOUR APPLE WALLET!
Apple Wallet lets you virtually store your credit and debit cards, rewards cards, boarding passes, movie tickets, and more all in one secure place.
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Every morning for the past three months, I wake up wearing a shiny gold ring on my right pointer finger. If you look closely, you can see beams of red or green light leaking out the sides as it scans my heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature. I roll out of bed, grab my phone, and open the Oura app.
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One of the most frequent questions I’m asked by friends and family is “Which app should I download?” With millions of options out there, choosing which apps to use is a task that stumps many people. Will a free version overload you with ads? Is the paid version worth it?
OPINION: I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE WITH APPLE VISION PRO, AND IT SUCKS.
Color me a virtual-reality optimist. Alongside writing for iPhone Life, I’m a video game developer, 3D artist, and sci-fi author. I own a Meta Quest 3 and use it all the time to play games and view 3D models as I work.
