A Complete Guide to Adding and Using Widgets on iPad 1

A Complete Guide to Adding and Using Widgets on iPad

Widgets are not new to the iPad or iPhone. You can use them in Today View on both devices. However, with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, some new features have been added that improve their functionality. If you’re wondering how widgets work and how to use them on iPad, you’ve come to the right place.

Widgets have been a part of Android since its inception. But they arrived late to iPhone and iPad. As such, they lack certain capabilities, but fortunately over time Apple is adding more and more features to them. You can add widgets for both Apple apps and third-party apps to your iPad.

Without making you wait any longer, let’s show you how to add and use widgets on the Apple iPad.

What Are Widgets on iPad?

Widgets are information boxes that display important content of the respective application without opening the application. In addition to providing useful information at a glance, widgets can interact. Tap the widget to open and access directly. For example, you can view the last note you created in the Apple Notes app using widgets. Similarly, you can see the news directly with the Apple News widget. Tap any news item to read the full article in a browser.

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Widgets save time because you don’t have to find and open the app. You can learn more about the differences between a widget and an app.

How Widgets Work on iPad

iOS and iPadOS 14 brought new capabilities to widgets. Its most important feature is that you can add widgets next to apps on the iPhone’s home screen. You can put widgets anywhere on your iPhone’s home screen. However, said functionality is limited to iPhone only.

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On iPad, you cannot put widgets directly on the home screen. Widgets remain in Today View only. However, you can enable a setting (Keep Today View on Home Screen) to show Today View on your iPad’s home screen. For those unaware, Today View is the sidebar that appears when you swipe right from the left edge of the first screen of apps. Alternatively, you can open it by swiping right from the notification panel.

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You can pin the Today View to the home screen so the widgets can be used directly on the home screen (sort of). However, you cannot move widgets outside of Today View.

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However, pinning Today View to the home screen only works for smaller app icons (more on that below) and landscape mode. If you return your device to portrait mode, the Today View will disappear from the home screen, thus hiding the widgets. You will then need to use the old method to access the Today View, i.e. swipe right from the left edge of the first screen.

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In iPadOS 14, you get a few new widgets-related features. For starters, the widgets have been redesigned to be more beautiful and data-rich. You can now customize the size of the widgets in three sizes: small, medium and large depending on the amount of information you want to see.

You also get a special type of widget known as the Smart Stack. Smart Stack combines different widgets together and automatically rotates between them to show relevant information. Stacks use on-device intelligence and machine learning to show you the right widget at the right time based on location, activity, and time.

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You can also manually switch between different widgets in a Smart Stack by swiping over them. Alternatively, you can create a widget stack yourself. This saves space in your Today View and helps you group similar widgets, if any. See our detailed guide on how to add and edit the Smart Stack widget.

Now that you are familiar with the basic features of widgets, let’s see how to add and use widgets in iPadOS 14.

How to Use Widgets on iPad

Here’s how to perform various widget-related actions on iPad, such as adding, editing, or deleting them.

How to Add Widgets on iPad

You can only add widgets in Today View on iPad. Open Today View by swiping right from the left edge of the first screen. Tap and hold any widget until you see the menu. Tap on Edit Home Screen.

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Widgets will start shaking and a new add icon (+) icon will appear at the top.

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Tap on it to go to the widget screen. Here you will find various widgets from Apple. You can also use the search at the top to find a widget. Tap the widget you want to add.

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The various sizes available for the widget will be displayed. Swipe between them to show different sizes. Once at the preferred widget size, tap the Add Widget button.

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The widget will be added to the Today View. Tap anywhere on the screen or press the Done button at the top to save the changes.

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Pro Tip: To reposition a widget in Today View, hold and drag it to its new location.

Add Today View to Home Screen

Now, if you want to add Today View to iPad’s home screen, open Settings on your device and go to Home & Dock. Select More under App icons instead of Bigger. Then enable Keep Today View on Home Screen.

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Now use the iPad in landscape mode and go to the first page of your home screen. On the home screen you will find the Today View with your widgets. Swipe the widgets up to reveal more widgets.

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Do not forget: On home screen, Today View only works in landscape mode and for Other app icon type in Home Screen settings.

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You can also add more widgets from the home screen. Tap and hold any empty space or any app icon on the home screen and select Edit Home Screen. When the widgets and icons start jingling, you will see the add icon in the upper left corner.

How to Add Third-Party Widgets to iPad

As mentioned earlier, the add icon only allows you to add widgets from Apple apps. To add third-party widgets, go to the edit mode of the home screen. When the icon and widgets start to flicker, scroll down to the end of the widget list in Today View. Tap Customize.

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You will be taken to a different Add widget screen. Tap the green add icon next to the widget you want to add. Or tap the red icon to remove the widget. You can change the position of the widgets by dragging them using the right size three-bar icon. Tap on Done to save the changes.

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Third-party app widgets will be listed below Apple widgets in Today View.

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How to Remove a Widget from iPad

To delete or hide a widget from Today View, turn on Today View. Touch and hold the widget you want to remove. Tap on Remove widget.

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Alternatively, while in the home screen’s edit mode, tap the little minus (-) icon next to the widget to remove it in Today View.

Pro Tip: If you don’t like widgets or Today View, remove all widgets from Today View to make it empty.

How to Pin Widgets to iPad

If you want certain Apple widgets to always stay on top, you can pin them. To do this, touch and hold any widget in the Today View. Tap on Edit Home Screen. At the top of the widgets you will see a dark gray box. Drag widgets into it to pin it.

Note: This feature only works in landscape mode when Today View appears on the home screen.

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How to Customize Widgets

Certain widgets let you choose the data that should be displayed. For example, in the Apple Notes widget, you can select the note to open directly from a widget or change the location of the weather widget. You can customize this behavior by editing a widget. To do this, tap and hold a widget in the Today View. Tap Edit Widget.

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Tap the existing property to select a different one.

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what’s up apple

It’s strange that Apple allows iOS to add widgets to any home screen, but not on the iPad where there is more screen space. Widgets should have been handled on the iPad the same way they were on iOS. Discrimination is mind-blowing. Hopefully Apple adds the ability to place widgets anywhere on the home screen on the iPad as well.

Next: Want to save space on your iPhone and iPad? Do it by emptying an app. Learn the difference between emptying and deleting the app from the next link.

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