Cannot add widget to home screen iphone

iPhone widgets are little “mini-apps” that provide a little bit of information about an app. Since iOS 14, iPhone users have been able to add widgets directly to the Home screen too! However, widgets don’t always work the way they’re supposed to. In this article, I’ll explain why widgets are not working on your iPhone and show you how to fix the problem for good!

Tap On The Widget

Sometimes all you need to do to update the information display on a widget is to tap on it and open the app. When the app opens, its content will refresh, which should refresh the widget too. After tapping on the widget and opening the corresponding app, return to the Home screen to see if the issue persists.

Check Widget Location Settings

Some widgets may need your location to update its content. You can change these permissions in Settings.

Tap Privacy -> Location Services to see a list of your apps that can use your location on your iPhone. For instance, if you tap on Weather, there’s an option to allow access to your location While Using the App or Widgets. If Allow Location Access isn’t set to While Using the App or Widgets or Always, the widget may not be able to load content.

Try changing the app’s location settings and see if widget starts working again.

Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone can fix minor software problems it might be experiencing, especially if the corresponding app to the widget that’s not working has crashed. If your iPhone has a Home button, press and hold the power button. For iPhones without a Home button, press and hold the side button and either volume button.

Release the button or buttons when slide to power off appears on the screen. Swipe the power icon from left to right to shut down your iPhone.

Wait 30–60 seconds, then press and hold the power or side button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Your iPhone will turn back on again shortly.

Remove The Widget And Set It Up Again

Removing a widget and setting it up like new can give it a fresh start, similar to deleting and reinstalling an app. Press and hold on the widget you’d like to remove. Tap Remove Widget -> Remove when the menu appears.

To add the widget back to the Home screen, press and hold on any widget or app icon. Then, tap Edit Home Screen.

Tap the plus (+) button in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Use the search bar to find the widget you just removed to add it back to the Home screen.

Update Your iPhone

If your iPhone widgets still aren’t working, check for an iOS update. Software updates often fix known bugs and errors. iOS updates are also the only way to update native iPhone apps, like Weather and FaceTime. After all, widgets were introduced an iOS update — they can be fixed by one too!

Open Settings and tap General -> Software Update. Tap Download and Install or Install Now if an iOS update is available.

Widgets Working Again!

Your iPhone widgets are back to normal! Make sure to share this article on social media to teach your friends and family what to do when widgets are not working on their iPhone. Leave any other questions about your iPhone in the comments section below.

With iOS 16, Apple has made the lock screen oh so customizable. It's the most personable part of your experience next to the home screen and something you interact with on a daily basis.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

• iPhone 8 or newer

• iOS 16

Apple now lets you add widgets directly to your lock screen, a feature that feeds directly into the always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

This means you can add an app like the Clock app or the Fitness app to your lock screen and view your upcoming alarms or daily step count. Beyond Apple's own apps, perhaps daily affirmations and the like from a motivational app, or your most recent Facebook comments would be welcome on your lock screen. You can even get a distance apart widget to see how close/far away you and a loved one are.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of sprucing up your iOS 16 lock screen with all the widgets you need.

How to add widgets to your lock screen on iOS 16

Adding widgets to your iPhone lock screen is done the same way as changing any part of the lock screen. It's a little different from what Apple's had in the years prior, but it should be easy enough once you get used to it.

Step 1: Go to your iPhone lock screen and press and hold on any blank space to enter the lock screen menu. From here, tap Customize and choose your lock screen as your customization target.

Step 2: Look under the clock, and you should see an Add widgets prompt there. Tap on it to begin the widget-adding process.

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Step 3: A widget picker will appear that displays all widgets on your iPhone. This will include many of Apple's own apps, as well as third-party apps that have been updated to support them.

Step 4: Pick your widgets. You are allowed to choose up to four, though the configuration will be dictated by the style of widget you pick. You can pick up to four small widgets, two large ones, or a single large one and two smaller ones.

Step 5: Once you've chosen your desired widget selection, tap Done to finish. If you're making a new lock screen, you'll see Set as wallpaper pair — tap and save.

iOS 16 widgets could stand to be improved, certainly. Apple could let you customize them by adding even more widget space to the lock screen rather than the limited four, or the company could make some of them more interactable a la live activities. That said, with access to full widgets just a swipe away, iOS 16 lock screen widgets help the new lock screen to be more customizable than ever.

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