In iOS 14, Apple made some dramatic changes to the Home Screen of iPhone and iPad. In particular, it introduced the concept of ‌Home Screen‌ widgets.

ios14homescreenwidgets
Previously, use of widgets was limited to the Today View, which can be accessed by swiping from left to right on the ‌Home Screen‌. In ‌iOS 14‌, however, widgets got a design and functionality overhaul.

One new widget function is the ability to create widget stacks. In widget stacks, multiple widgets can be stacked on top of one another so you can put all of your favorites together and then swap between them.

Here's how to create your own widget stack in iOS 14.

  1. Long press on a blank area of the ‌Home Screen‌ or any additional page of apps.
  2. Once in jiggle mode, tap the plus (+) button in the top-left corner of the screen.
  3. Scroll through the widgets card and press a widget that you want to include in your widget stack, then drag it onto the ‌Home Screen‌.
    widgets

  4. Tap the plus (+) button in the corner of the screen again.
  5. Select another widget to include in your stack, but this time, drag it directly on top of the stack you just added to your ‌Home Screen‌.
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to include additional widgets in your stack.
  7. Tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen when you're finished.
    widgets

You can swipe up and down on your stack to scroll through the widgets you added, or you can let iOS automatically switch between them for you.

Note that widgets in the same stack need to be the same size – you can't have one small, one medium and one large widgets in the same stack, for example.

How to Edit a Widget Stack

If you decide you want to remove a widget from your stack or change their order of appearance, here's what to do.

  1. Long press on the widget stack you want to edit.
  2. Select Edit Stack from the popup menu.
  3. To delete a widget from the stack, swipe left across the widget in question to reveal the Delete button.
  4. To change the order of widgets, simply drag each one up or down using the hamburger icons on the far right.
    widgets

Note that you can use the Smart Rotate toggle to control whether iOS automatically switches them for you periodically.

How to Delete a Widget Stack

To delete a widget stack you created, simply long press on the stack and select Remove Stack from the popup menu.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Top Rated Comments

WannaGoMac Avatar
73 months ago
Does anyone else miss the days when the interface wasn’t so confusing that you didn’t need extensive instructions to walk you through steps and hidden interface elements to figure out how to do stuff?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crossb8 Avatar
73 months ago

Does anyone else miss the days when the interface wasn’t so confusing that you didn’t need extensive instructions to walk you through steps and hidden interface elements to figure out how to do stuff?
I still think we don't need walk throughs like this. it's pretty basic.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timmyh Avatar
73 months ago

I would like to be able to add 3rd party widgets to either a stack (now I know how to do it) or to the Home Screen.
I’m sure it’s coming. Third party widgets are likely where the fun really begins.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
73 months ago
Anyone know how to only remove the flashlight from the lock screen?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
73 months ago
Thanks for the good article, MR. A lot of people have been seeking direction about the widgets.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nwcs Avatar
73 months ago

Does anyone else miss the days when the interface wasn’t so confusing that you didn’t need extensive instructions to walk you through steps and hidden interface elements to figure out how to do stuff?
Yes, it’s partly because people get bored so quickly and need change for changes sake. It’s also partly because the hardware has all normalized across all devices so it takes software tricks to really differentiate between what is basically a commodity.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
M3 iPad Air

Apple's Next Two Products Are Coming Soon

Thursday February 12, 2026 11:17 am PST by
Apple plans to release an iPhone 17e and an iPad Air with an M4 chip "in the coming weeks," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple retail employees say that inventory of the iPhone 16e has basically dried out and the iPad Air is seeing shortages as well," said Gurman. "I've been expecting new versions of both (iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air) in the coming weeks."...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...