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Jorge Gonzalez

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 15, 2020
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Widgets in iOS 14. I don’t if someone found it but I’m not able to activate the Favorites Contacts Widget. That one use to make my life easier. Now with this update the option doesn’t exist anymore.
 
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It doesn't exist. Nor do favourites work when long pressing the Phone or Facetime icons. iOS 13 betas were the same for the first few.

As a stop-gap I've created shortcut widgets to call/video my favourites, but like all the new widgets they're stupidly over-sized. Four shortcut/favourite buttons take up the space of 8 icons. I tried putting shortcuts on the homescreen, but they're still just links into the shortcut app, so doing it this way opens Shortcuts, then opens Facetime to make the call after which you're uselessly thrown back into the Shortcuts app.
 
Widgets in iOS 14. I don’t if someone found it but I’m not able to activate the Favorites Contacts Widget. That one use to make my life easier. Now with this update the option doesn’t exist anymore.

Apole’s old Widgets are not available, simply because the old style widgets are not going to be supported on iOS 14’s release.

I would expect Apple to have new versions of their own ones they removed, by iOS 14’s release, but just don’t have them ready for the Beta process.
 
Apole’s old Widgets are not available, simply because the old style widgets are not going to be supported on iOS 14’s release.

I would expect Apple to have new versions of their own ones they removed, by iOS 14’s release, but just don’t have them ready for the Beta process.
Or seems like the old widgets would be allowed to exist in iOS 14.
 
Or seems like the old widgets would be allowed to exist in iOS 14.

I was sure that it said somewhere in the release notes, or it might have been one of the documents from one of the WWDC sessions about Widgets, that they won't be supported. I'll try and find it.

Edit: Here's someone else, also confirming it:
#2
 
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Based on what's mentioned in some posts like https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...most-looking-forward-to.2243404/post-28679563 it seems like the "old" widgets should still be available.

as confirmed below, if an app is built using iOS 14 SDK, widgets will be the new style. That means any that don’t will be the old style, which is why that document in the post you linked to says they are still supported.


If you build your app based on the iOS 14 SDK, the old Today Widget will disappear. You will notice after the official release in September / October. Also doesn't make sense to keep the old ones from a UI design perspective as they look quite differently.

My widgets are not ready for TestFlight, yet. At the moment there are still some bugs to remove on my end and also in Xcode.
 
Damn I opened a thread few minutes ago with the same trouble.

I solved in this way: I created a lot of FaceTime contacts with shortcut, added the shortcuts to a folder, added the folder to the widget and added the widget to a stack in order to take less space.

D2F0B96B-0601-4F02-843A-DDE6DC757208.jpeg


But it was way better and useful the “old favorites” widget🙄
 
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Or seems like the old widgets wouldn't be allowed to exist in iOS 14.

Yes they are still allowed for third party at least in iOS14 (see here if I interpret it correctly) but I read though that only if they are build for iOS13. Since they also remain as in the Today View/Notification Center area for iPadOS14 as it was available in previous iOS and iPadOS versions.

as confirmed below, if an app is built using iOS 14 SDK, widgets will be the new style. That means any that don’t will be the old style, which is why that document in the post you linked to says they are still supported.

On iOS14 widgets can still be offered both in the Notification Center/Today View and homescreen widgets for third party widgets (however possibly only if they were build for iOS13 and therefore don't appear on the homescreen but only NC area) for what I've read based on Apple developers site and based upon TestFlight info in Launchers description (by Cromulent Labs) unfortunate for the Apple ones that is not currently the case and not sure if Apple will add them again at a later point. I did notice that the new UI is using less space on the NC area which caused in the beta of Launcher widget that it shows one icon less (in the smallest size) so 6 instead of 7. I do hope that the NC widgets won't go away because I have some users cases where those are really handy to use from within an app with two swipes away without closing the app.

Btw for the favorites widget there is also the third party alternative from e.g. Launcher (by Cromulent Labs) that really works well too on the Notification Center area.
 
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Yes they are still allowed in iOS14 to be used and since they also remain as in the Today View/Notification Center area for iPadOS14 as it was available in previous iOS and iPadOS versions.
Well, while old style widgets are still allowed and supported, it seems like the old versions of some of the widgets for certain Apple apps/features (like Favorites, for example) aren't there after all, and new versions of those don't seem to exist so far either.
 
Well, while old style widgets are still allowed and supported, it seems like the old versions of some of the widgets for certain Apple apps/features (like Favorites, for example) aren't there after all, and new versions of those don't seem to exist so far either.
All the Apple iOS 13 widgets have gone; it's only third party ones that are left. So if Apple didn't port the widget to iOS 14 (looking at you, Favourites and Up Next) then they simply don't exist any more.

Bearing in mind they have a big clock widget that can't tell the time, a weather widget that shows random temperatures across the same widget, and a calendar widget that removes events before they've ended, I can only assume the widget developer got bored and went home. With no internet.
 
Greetings from Russia. I miss this widget too. It was very comfortable. I could make only 2 taps and I'm just calling to my friend. RIP "Favourite calls" widget.

What do you think? Will Apple make this in the future?

About Facetime Shortcuts, we don't use Facetime at all. Basically we use cellular or What's App and Telegram messengers.
 
Damn I opened a thread few minutes ago with the same trouble.

I solved in this way: I created a lot of FaceTime contacts with shortcut, added the shortcuts to a folder, added the folder to the widget and added the widget to a stack in order to take less space.

View attachment 954488

But it was way better and useful the “old favorites” widget🙄
Hey can i even add this one?
 
Greetings from Russia. I miss this widget too. It was very comfortable. I could make only 2 taps and I'm just calling to my friend. RIP "Favourite calls" widget.

What do you think? Will Apple make this in the future?

About Facetime Shortcuts, we don't use Facetime at all. Basically we use cellular or What's App and Telegram messengers.
You should be able to set up similar shortcuts for other apps as well (not just FaceTime).
[automerge]1600374664[/automerge]
Hey can i even add this one?
Use the Shortcuts app to create shortcuts and then add the Shortcuts widget.
 
You should be able to set up similar shortcuts for other apps as well (not just FaceTime).
[automerge]1600374664[/automerge]

Use the Shortcuts app to create shortcuts and then add the Shortcuts widget.
I made a backup and I don't know what to do next. I mean use 13 or update to 14. So I want to ask, if I'll make a Shortcuts for fast calls, can I use it from lock screen?
 
I made a backup and I don't know what to do next. I mean use 13 or update to 14. So I want to ask, if I'll make a Shortcuts for fast calls, can I use it from lock screen?
If you have the Shortcuts widget in the Today View screen (where widgets have typically been) and you have access to that screen from the lock screen then you can place a call using it.
 
Damn I opened a thread few minutes ago with the same trouble.

I solved in this way: I created a lot of FaceTime contacts with shortcut, added the shortcuts to a folder, added the folder to the widget and added the widget to a stack in order to take less space.

View attachment 954488

But it was way better and useful the “old favorites” widget🙄

I created this for the phone app and this one actually works like the favorites widgets but it looks huge. Still hoping apple to add such widgets back in forthcoming updates 😕
 
If you have the Shortcuts widget in the Today View screen (where widgets have typically been) and you have access to that screen from the lock screen then you can place a call using it.

Yah I did try it works from the lockscreen as well
 
Widgets in iOS 14. I don’t if someone found it but I’m not able to activate the Favorites Contacts Widget. That one use to make my life easier. Now with this update the option doesn’t exist anymore.
Just make a shortcut of whoever you need to call on the shortcut app on iphone and then the widgets allow you to add the shortcut
 
I created this for the phone app and this one actually works like the favorites widgets but it looks huge. Still hoping apple to add such widgets back in forthcoming updates 😕
agree
[automerge]1600390394[/automerge]
Just make a shortcut of whoever you need to call on the shortcut app on iphone and then the widgets allow you to add the shortcut
It looks worse and no picture.
 
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What a lame move. This was the fastest way to call my top people. I had six of them arranged perfectly and those calls were always a single swipe and tap away. ****ing idiots.
[automerge]1600394532[/automerge]
Just make a shortcut of whoever you need to call on the shortcut app on iphone and then the widgets allow you to add the shortcut
I guess that's a workround but it looks like crap.
 
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Well, while old style widgets are still allowed and supported, it seems like the old versions of some of the widgets for certain Apple apps/features (like Favorites, for example) aren't there after all, and new versions of those don't seem to exist so far either.

Sorry I will update my response. I've read based on Cromulent Labs earlier response in the TestFlight description that for a third party at least it is possible to retain the original Notification Center in iOS14 (so e.g. with more interactive features) and also having homescreen widgets especially for iOS14 also since the iPad with iPadOS14 still uses the old widget if I understand it correctly (I haven't updated my iPads yet to iOS14 to test it nor did Launcher update yet if Apple even allows it on the homescreen). Quote Cromulent Labs: "The new Launcher widgets are not currently available for iPad, although that may change in the future. The old Today View widgets are still available in the app on all platforms and are limited to the Notification Center. If classic widgets don't show in NC you may have to reboot to see them." I do wonder if for all platforms this also means that it would remain available for iOS14 users as well. I've reached out to the dev to see what the options/limitations are in that regard. I would love to keep the NC widget as is but I'm also afraid that Apple will phase out NC widgets all together at one point when iPadOS future version will also move away from it and start supporting widgets on homescreen. If I'm in an app I really like the way it works now instead of going to your homescreen to go to a widget e.g. quick launchers such as Launcher. Also the developer page from Apple can be interpreted in different ways.

For official Apple widgets it is indeed a shame that we currently no longer have e.g. the Favorites widget let's hope Apple adds those again after user feedback. Until that time there are third party alternatives such as Launcher widget (currently still classic on in NC area) and Shortcuts might also work although I think the Launcher one is so much nicer and takes up less space and has more options to connect with a person (e-mail, Facetime audio, video, call, message) with just one button.
 
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