Widgets and Live Activities keep your app visible outside the app itself: on the home screen, lock screen, StandBy, Dynamic Island, and Android home screens. They show timely, glanceable information and quick actions, such as progress toward a goal, a delivery's status, or a one-tap check-in, which brings users back without notifications. Build widgets around your core value, keep them useful at a glance, and show them in your store screenshots because users increasingly choose apps for their widgets.
Why widgets matter
Most of a user's time on their phone is spent outside your app. Widgets put your app's most useful information where users already look, turning passive visibility into engagement. A habit tracker widget showing today's progress, or a weather widget showing rain timing, keeps the app relevant every time the user unlocks their phone.
Widgets can also reduce reliance on push notifications, which users may disable. Our push notification strategy guide explains why notification fatigue is a real risk.
iOS widget surfaces
On iOS, WidgetKit supports home screen widgets, lock screen widgets, StandBy mode on charging iPhones, and widgets on iPad and Mac. Since iOS 17, widgets can be interactive, letting users complete simple actions, such as checking off a task, without opening the app. iOS 18 added controls in Control Center and on the lock screen.
Each surface has different sizes and constraints. Lock screen widgets are small and monochrome-friendly; home screen widgets come in several sizes; StandBy shows widgets at a distance. Design for each context.
Live Activities and the Dynamic Island
Live Activities show real-time updates on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island for ongoing events, such as deliveries, rides, sports scores, workouts, or timers. They update through the app or push updates and end when the event finishes.
Live Activities are ideal for time-bound tasks where users would otherwise keep opening the app to check status. Food delivery, ride-hailing, and sports apps use them to reduce anxiety and increase satisfaction. Our food delivery app ASO playbook covers related categories.
Android widgets
Android has long supported home screen widgets, and modern tools such as Jetpack Glance simplify building them. Android widgets can be resizable and interactive. Themed and dynamic colour support helps widgets match users' home screens.
Our app icon sizes guide covers Android themed icons, which pair well with widget design for a consistent home screen presence.
Designing useful widgets
Start with the single most useful thing users want to see or do quickly. Show it clearly, update it at sensible intervals, and link taps to the relevant screen in the app. Avoid cramming the full app into a widget.
Offer a few widget types for different needs, such as progress, quick action, and summary. Respect battery and data limits by updating only when needed.
Widgets as a store selling point
Many users choose apps partly for their widgets, especially in categories such as weather, productivity, habit tracking, calendars, fitness, and personalisation. Showing widgets on a home or lock screen in your screenshots can communicate value instantly.
Our weather app ASO and keyboard, wallpaper, and personalisation app ASO playbooks show categories where widgets drive conversion. Consider widget-related keywords, such as widget or home screen, where accurate.
Onboarding users to widgets
Many users do not know how to add widgets. Add a short in-app guide or animation showing how, and prompt at a relevant moment, such as after a user sets a goal. Users who add a widget often become more engaged.
Track widget adoption and compare retention for users who add widgets versus those who do not. Our app onboarding best practices guide explains timing prompts.
Measuring widget impact
Track how many users add widgets, which types they use, taps from widgets into the app, and retention for widget users versus non-users. Correlation does not prove causation, because engaged users are more likely to add widgets, so test widget prompts with control groups where possible.
Our cohort analysis guide explains comparing groups over time.
Privacy on the lock screen
Lock screen widgets and Live Activities are visible without unlocking the phone. Avoid showing sensitive information, such as account balances or health details, by default. Let users choose what appears, and respect system privacy settings.
Privacy-conscious design builds trust, especially in finance and health apps, as discussed in our banking and neobank app ASO playbook.
Wearables and other surfaces
Widgets and complications also appear on smartwatches, and Smart Stacks on Apple Watch can surface timely information. Extending your glanceable design to wearables strengthens your app's presence in users' days.
Our Apple Watch and Wear OS app ASO guide covers watch apps and complications.
Common widget mistakes
Building widgets that duplicate the full app, updating too frequently and draining battery, showing sensitive data on the lock screen, and failing to tell users widgets exist are the most common mistakes.
Teams also forget to show widgets in store screenshots, missing a strong conversion message.
A worked example: a habit tracker's widgets
A habit tracker adds an interactive home screen widget for checking off today's habits, a lock screen widget showing streak count, and a Live Activity for timed habits like meditation. After a user creates their first habit, the app shows a short animation explaining how to add the widget.
Widget users retain better than non-users in a controlled test of the prompt, and the team adds a screenshot showing the widget on a home screen. Conversion improves, and the app begins ranking for habit tracker widget searches.
How to do it, step by step
- Pick the glanceable core valueChoose the single most useful information or action for a widget.
- Design for each surfaceCreate home screen, lock screen, and other widget sizes, plus Live Activities if relevant.
- Add interactivity carefullySupport simple actions without opening the app where helpful.
- Teach users to add widgetsShow a short guide at a relevant moment after onboarding.
- Show and measureFeature widgets in screenshots and measure adoption and retention.
Before and after examples
Illustrative examples written for a generic app in this category, not client results. Swap in your own product, audience, and data.
Full dashboard squeezed into a small widget.
Today's habits with one-tap check-off.
Why it works: Focused widgets are useful at a glance.
Account balance shown on the lock screen by default.
Spending progress shown, with balances hidden unless enabled.
Why it works: Privacy-safe defaults build trust.
No mention of widgets.
Home screen with the habit widget and caption Track habits without opening the app.
Why it works: Widgets are a strong selling point.
Action plan
- Build widgets around the core value
- Design for each surface
- Use Live Activities for ongoing events
- Teach users how to add widgets
- Protect privacy on the lock screen
- Show widgets in screenshots
Metrics to monitor
- Widget adoption rate
- Taps from widgets into the app
- Retention of widget users
- Live Activity usage
- Conversion after widget screenshots
Record the baseline, release date, audience, markets, and external changes before interpreting movement. Rankings and conversion are useful signals, but a decision is stronger when activation, retention, and business value confirm that the page attracted the right users.
Frequently asked questions
Do widgets improve app retention?
They can, by keeping the app visible and useful outside the app. Measure with controlled tests, because engaged users are more likely to add widgets.
What are Live Activities?
iOS features that show real-time updates for ongoing events on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island.
Can widgets be interactive?
Yes. Since iOS 17, widgets can support simple interactions, and Android widgets have long supported interactive elements.
Should I show widgets in my store screenshots?
Yes, if widgets are a strong part of your value. Users often choose apps in some categories for their widgets.
How do I get users to add my widget?
Show a short in-app guide at a relevant moment, such as after a user sets up their first goal.
Are lock screen widgets private?
They are visible without unlocking, so avoid showing sensitive information by default.
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