How to Use Widgets in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15

Last year, Apple made a real breakthrough when it finally started using widgets for the iPhone’s Home Screen. And even though widgets aren’t as developed as they are on Android devices, they’re definitely a step in the right direction.

It took Apple another year to finally introduce widgets in iPadOS 15. They work just as great, and you can easily set them up. Who knows, maybe next year we’ll see widgets in Mac. Fingers crossed!

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for next year to start using them on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Read on to find out everything you need to know to start customizing your very own widgets.

How Do Widgets Work on iPhone and iPad?

Unfortunately, in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, you can’t interact with widgets in your Home Screen or the Today View. Instead, they’ll mostly show you in real-time. 

For example, there’s a widget that’ll show you the battery percentage of your Apple devices. Other widgets will show you things like the weather, a playlist you’re listening to, or the calendar. If you tap them, they’ll immediately open the app. 

How to Add Widgets to the Today View 

Some people didn’t know that Apple used widgets before iOS 14, but you could only use them in the Today View. 

Nowadays, you can still add widgets to the Today View and not have them on your Home Screen. Here’s how:

1. When you’re in your iPhone or iPad’s Home Screen, swipe all the way to the right. 
2. Tap the Edit button at the bottom of your screen. You can also press and hold until everything start’s giggling. 
3. Tap the “+” icon on the top left corner of your screen. 
4. Scroll through the widgets and select the one you want to use. 
5. Swipe to the left to choose the size of widget you want. 
6. Tap Add Widget.

How to Use Today View’s Special Widgets

The Today View has some exclusive widgets that you can’t use on the iPhone or iPad’s Home Screen. They’re mostly widgets from third-party apps, and they are together in the same section. Here’s how to use them.

1. Swipe all the way to the right.
2. Tap the Edit button at the bottom of your screen or press and hold your screen.
3. Tap Customize.
4. Choose the widgets you want to add.
5. Press the “+” button on the left side of the apps’ name to add it. 
6. Tap Done on the top right corner.

Now you’ll have a new widget that’s exclusive to the Today View page. If you want to remove it, repeat the process and tap the “-” button on the left side of the app and then tap Remove.

How to Add Widgets to the Home Screen

The Today View was fine a few years ago, but now you can have widgets on your iPhone or iPad Home Screen with just a few simple taps. 

1. Press and hold your finger in the iPhone or iPad’s Home Screen until the apps start jiggling. 
2. Tap the “+” icon on the top left corner of your screen.
3. Choose the widget you want to add.
4. Swipe to the left to choose the widget size you want to use.
5. Tap Add Widget.
6. Drag the widget to place it where you want it on your Home Screen. 

How to Move Widgets

Whether you’re using your Home Screen or Today View, you can move your widgets, so they’re in the position you want. Here’s how:

1. Press and hold your Home Screen until the apps start jiggling. 
2. Press the widget you want to move and drag it to where you want to pace it.
3. Release your finger.

You can do this on both the Today View and the Home Screen; just move around the pages and find the widgets you want to move. And yes, you can move widgets between the Today Page and the Home Screen.

How to Remove Widgets

There’s a couple of ways for you to remove widgets, and they’re both really easy to do. 

1. Press and hold the widget you want to remove until a pop-up menu appears.
2. Tap Remove Widget.
3. Confirm by tapping Remove.

If you want to delete a lot of widgets, you can also press and hold the Home Screen until the widgets start jiggling. Then tap the “-” icon on the top left side of the widget and tap Remove.

Can You Edit the Widget Sizes?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a way for you to change the size of a widget from the Home Screen. So if you want to have a bigger or smaller widget, you’ll need to add a new one with a different size, as we showed you before. Then you can delete the widget that you don’t want.

How to Use the Smart Stack Widget

Apple introduced Smart Stack back in 2020. This is basically a stack of widgets that can rotate to have multiple widgets without consuming much space from your Home Screen. Here’s how you can add a Smart Stack Widget.

1. Press and hold your Home Screen until the apps start jiggling.
2. Tap the “+” icon on the top left corner of your screen. 
3. Tap the Smart Stack widget. It should be the first one on the list. 
4. Swipe to the right to choose the size you want for your Smart Stack widget. 
5. Tap Add Widget.
6. Drag the Smart Stack widget and place it where you want to have it. 

By default, the Smart Stack widget will rotate every now and then. But you can also rotate it by swiping up or down on the widget whenever you want. 

How to Add Widgets to Smart Stack

With iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Apple made it a bit confusing to add widgets to Smart Stack. The most confusing part is that it doesn’t explain to you how to do it. The good news is, it’s still really easy to do. 

Before adding widgets to Smart Stack, make sure to add the widgets you want to your Home Screen, as we showed you before. After you’ve done that, follow the next steps:

1. Press and hold your Home Screen until it starts jiggling.
2. Drag the widget you want to add on top of the Smart Stack.
3. Release your finger. 

The widget will instantly become part of the Smart Stack. You can repeat the same process for every widget you want. You can also do these steps and create your own Smart Stack using only the widgets you want. 

How to Edit the Smart Stack Widget

The good thing about the Smart Stack is that you can easily remove widgets you don’t want and ask your iPhone or iPad to show widget suggestions. 

1. Press and hold your Smart Stack widget.
2. Tap on Edit Stack.
3. If you want to rearrange widgets, you can press and drag any widget up or down to move its position.
4. If you want to remove widgets from Smart Stack, tap the “-” icon on the top left corner of the widget and then tap Remove to confirm. 
5. If you want to disable smart rotate, tap the button on the bottom left corner of your screen. 
6. If you want to enable or disable widget suggestions, tap the button on the bottom right corner of your screen. 
7. After you finish, tap Done in the top right corner of your screen. 

It may seem like a lot at first, but you’ll quickly get used to it and wonder how you were able to not use widgets for so long.