iOS 14 Widgets Offer iPhone Users Creative Home Screen Ideas

by

Updated on September 22nd with hands on video.

In iOS 14, Apple introduced ‌the concept of Home Screen‌ widgets, which provide information from apps at a glance. Widgets can be pinned to the Home Screen in various spots and sizes, allowing for many different layouts.

Despite the relative lack of 3rd party widgets at launch, iOS users around the world have been busy customizing their home screens and sharing their work with others.

(Besides using iOS 14 Widgets, Twitter user Ben Zhu also used Shortcuts to change the look of the icons in the screenshot above.)

On Twitter, the hashtag #iOS14HomeScreen started trending this weekend with users showing off their latest creations. MacRumors followers also shared their creations on Twitter and in this forum thread.

Some bigger brands have already released widget support, including IMDB, Google, and Twitch. Spotify is notably absent from the early supporting apps, though TuneTrack already offers Spotify "Playing Now" widget support in the meanwhile.

Hands On Video

We grabbed some of the tools we describe later in this article and shot this video which shows how you too can customize your iOS 14 home screen. Our videographer shows how to use Widgetsmith amongst other tools to create custom configurations as well as replacing the standard icons with your own images. There are some limitations to be aware of however.

We even tried to create a special Mac OS X Aqua themed home screen just to see how it would go. Bottom line, it took a while and wasn't quite functional.

Widgetsmith

One of the early Widget apps that has seen a lot of popularity is Widgetsmith [Free] which offers the ability to create widgets alongside styling customizations. Widgetsmith allows you to create customized small, medium or large widgets with Time, Date, Photos, Custom Text, Upcoming Events, Reminders, and Health and Activity. Widgetsmith also offers Weather and Tide widgets as part of their premium subscription package which costs $1.99/month or $19.99/year.

The flexibility of the tool has made it popular with iOS 14 Home Screen screenshots that have been circulating around the web. Taken to the extreme, you can see highly stylized home screens:

Update: Widgetsmith has been updated to version 1.0.4 and includes a new custom color picker and a new Battery icon widget.

ColorWidgets

color widgets

Another popular choice we've seen is ColorWidgets [Free] which offers a free Time and Battery widget with a lot of colorful styles. Some premium styles are also offered for a $3.99 one time purchase.

Weather Widgets

Weather is a popular widget type that has already seen a number of supporting apps. There are certainly more that we missed, but notably, Apple's own Dark Sky doesn't have widget support yet.

weather line

Other Widgets

Beyond that, there are a number of early widgets that we've run across, and here is a short list.

Fitness and Nutrition Widgets

fitbod

  • Fitbod - Workout tracking. Free with IAP
  • FoodNoms - Food and calorie tracking. Free with IAP
  • Streaks - Forming habits on a daily basis. $4.99
  • Zones - Workout tracking. Free with IAP
  • Hour Blocks - Dayplanner that shows you what's next. $3.99

Finance Widgets

copilot

Travel Widgets

  • Flighty - Flight tracking app. Free with IAP
  • App in the Air - Travel assistant. Free with IAP
  • KAYAK - Book flights, hotels and cars. Free
  • Tripit - Travel planner. Free with IAP
  • World Clock - Time zone widget. Free with IAP

We will continue to cover notable Widgets as they are released. For a deeper dive, please visit our Twitter thread where we asked for widget recommendations and follow along in the 3rd Party Widgets Thread in our iOS 14 forum.

Additional Widgets

Additional interesting widgets that have launched:

  • Parcel - Delivery tracking. Free
  • WaterMinder - Daily water reminder. $4.99
  • Clatters - Social media monitoring. Free with IAP
  • Launcher - Launch apps from widgets. Free but Limited. $7.99 IAP.
Tags: Widgets Guide, Widgetsmith Guide
Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Read Full Article • 40 comments
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Read Full Article • 129 comments
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Read Full Article • 274 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Read Full Article • 40 comments
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Read Full Article • 315 comments
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Read Full Article • 28 comments
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
Read Full Article • 51 comments
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Read Full Article • 206 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Read Full Article • 50 comments

Top Rated Comments

Peepo Avatar
Peepo
68 months ago
$19.95/year subscription for a widget app?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
sniffies
68 months ago

How do people change icons into custom images? Need a step-by-step :)
From twitter ('https://twitter.com/kcsnipes1149/status/1307776733181915136'):

You can use the shortcuts app to change the icon. Open shortcuts > add new shortcut > add action > scripting > open app > choose app > click the ... > add to Home Screen > under Home Screen name tap on the icon and choose an image. > add. Done!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jntdroid Avatar
jntdroid
68 months ago
iPhone forums will now look like Android forums for the past 10 years... ;)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rudy69 Avatar
Rudy69
68 months ago

Jailbreak
WTF! Read the article. It says they're using Shortcuts. Why spread misinformation?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tegranjeet Avatar
tegranjeet
68 months ago
Meh, just another distraction and battery eater. I tend to keep just one page of apps. thanks but not for me
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jntdroid Avatar
jntdroid
68 months ago
Some of the comments I'm seeing here about widgets, and elsewhere, point to something I've been telling my Android friends (and myself as I also have used and enjoy Android) for a long time... all of the customization is ultimately more of a time waste than anything else. If you enjoy it, great. But if not, if your phone is primarily a tool in your mind, instead of a fun thing to play with, then customization is kind of pointless.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments