your favourite widgets iOS 10

[Heavy Fluid]

I just updated to 10 last night on my 6S. Coming from Android, the widget choices on Apple are pretty much a joke. One thing that absolutely drove me nuts is that you couldn't have a widget that would just show your next alarm. I grew very accustomed to that simple thing on Android. Tried an app called Piggy Alarm but since I am an adult and not a 13 year old girl, the app worked but visually made me nauseated.

Up Next is the best thing to happen to me since I moved back to iOS.

 

[boltjames]

It seems more like more people are probably stumbling onto it because they are used to swiping right on the lock screen and now they get this when they do it. It's more of a side-effect from that than anything else really.

Could be, all I know is that installing widgets has been the most App Store fun I've had in 3 years.

BJ

 

[Paco II]

One thing I am definitely grateful for in iOS 10: no more left margin/padding in some widgets but not others. Another visual discrepancy that would bug me. Maybe I'm slightly OCD I do wish widgets could have more interaction like notifications. That'll be the big new feature in iOS 11

 

[C DM]

Could be, all I know is that installing widgets has been the most App Store fun I've had in 3 years.

BJ

I mostly went through that shortly after iOS 8 came out when widgets were introduced, and a few times since then when more and more apps have added widgets and I would spend some time looking for better or newer ones.

 

[spinedoc77]

Can a mod please sticky this?!?

I'm also having a hard time migrating from Android where the widgets were amazing. Can iOS widgets scroll? I have yet to find a s ingle on that does so. I would love to find an email widget that lets me scroll through my emails, or a text message widget which does the same, similar to Android. After hours of searching Ihaven't found a single worthy email widget.

I finally found a widget for calendars that has a full month view with text in the calendar itself with widgetcal, unfortunately the calendar app that opens up is horrendous. I wish I could link a different calendar app to the widget.

I'm hoping that widgets become more powerful and we begin to see more and more of them.

 

[C DM]

Can a mod please sticky this?!?

I'm also having a hard time migrating from Android where the widgets were amazing. Can iOS widgets scroll? I have yet to find a s ingle on that does so. I would love to find an email widget that lets me scroll through my emails, or a text message widget which does the same, similar to Android. After hours of searching Ihaven't found a single worthy email widget.

I finally found a widget for calendars that has a full month view with text in the calendar itself with widgetcal, unfortunately the calendar app that opens up is horrendous. I wish I could link a different calendar app to the widget.

I'm hoping that widgets become more powerful and we begin to see more and more of them.

Can't say that widgets can scroll, but with iOS 10 they can expand to show more information. Can't say that I've come across widgets that just show last few messages or emails, as opposed to perhaps new emails or messages for some app, for example, as typically people just end up going to their respective apps already existing content those.

 

[Traverse]

WaterMinder has done quite a good job with its widget.

I use this app on the Apple Watch. If I didn't have that, I'd use the widget.

 

[pacorob]

One thing I am definitely grateful for in iOS 10: no more left margin/padding in some widgets but not others. Another visual discrepancy that would bug me. Maybe I'm slightly OCD I do wish widgets could have more interaction like notifications. That'll be the big new feature in iOS 11

I do think that the new widget UI is causing that you can see less icons/actions with e.g. the Launcher widget and takes up more space in your widgets area. I did appreciate it a lot that Launcher uses the complete screen in iOS8/9.

Maybe handy for this topic is a link to the iOS8/9 widget topic. Some have already updated their widgets to iOS10 but it's a hit and miss though. You have to look for the update date and description in the latest app update.

 

[strategicthinke]

I use this app on the Apple Watch. If I didn't have that, I'd use the widget.

I have it on the Apple Watch too. But using the widget on the iPad while I am at work is a piece of cake.

 

[Paco II]

I'm not sure what the forum etiquette is for such things, but perhaps that thread should be carried over into the iOS 10 section? It is a great thread, but I'm afraid it will be lost over there.

I do think that the new widget UI is causing that you can see less icons/actions with e.g. the Launcher widget and takes up more space in your widgets area. I did appreciate it a lot that Launcher uses the complete screen in iOS8/9.

Maybe handy for this topic is a link to the iOS8/9 widget topic. Some have already updated their widgets to iOS10 but it's a hit and miss though. You have to look for the update date and description in the latest app update.

 

[Heavy Fluid]

Can a mod please sticky this?!?

I'm also having a hard time migrating from Android where the widgets were amazing. Can iOS widgets scroll? I have yet to find a s ingle on that does so. I would love to find an email widget that lets me scroll through my emails, or a text message widget which does the same, similar to Android. After hours of searching Ihaven't found a single worthy email widget.

I finally found a widget for calendars that has a full month view with text in the calendar itself with widgetcal, unfortunately the calendar app that opens up is horrendous. I wish I could link a different calendar app to the widget.

I'm hoping that widgets become more powerful and we begin to see more and more of them.

The transition from widgets on Android to Apple's offering is really rough. Pretty sure that they never sat down with an Android device to see exactly what a widget can actually do, rather they copied the "idea" of them.

 

[spinedoc77]

I'm not sure what the forum etiquette is for such things, but perhaps that thread should be carried over into the iOS 10 section? It is a great thread, but I'm afraid it will be lost over there.

Yes, I'm wondering why we don't have an iOS10 widgets stickie?!!?
[doublepost=1474507047][/doublepost]

The transition from widgets on Android to Apple's offering is really rough. Pretty sure that they never sat down with an Android device to see exactly what a widget can actually do, rather they copied the "idea" of them.

Tell me about it, I feel like I went from college to pre-school. I still haven't found a useful email widget.

 

[hank moody]

- native weather app
- native stocks app
- workflow
- forza football

 

[C DM]

The transition from widgets on Android to Apple's offering is really rough. Pretty sure that they never sat down with an Android device to see exactly what a widget can actually do, rather they copied the "idea" of them.

More like they have their own idea and implementation of them.

 

[Che Castro]

I must be the only person who doesn't use the today view

 

[spinedoc77]

More like they have their own idea and implementation of them.

No there is a definite downgrade in functionality, but that may not matter to some who don't need it, or someone who doesn't know any better.

 

[C DM]

No there is a definite downgrade in functionality, but that may not matter to some who don't need it, or someone who doesn't know any better.

It's not a downgrade in the sense that there was nothing else better or even at all before. This is the iOS implementation of widgets. It differs from Android. It might be seen as worse for some who are coming from Android or some other platforms or just in general. But it's not that they made a poor copy of widgets from Android or elsewhere, it's just that they made their own implementation of widgets (whether or not they are better or worse compared to Android is separate from that basically).

 

[pacorob]

I'm not sure what the forum etiquette is for such things, but perhaps that thread should be carried over into the iOS 10 section? It is a great thread, but I'm afraid it will be lost over there.

Yes, I'm wondering why we don't have an iOS10 widgets stickie?!!?
[doublepost=1474507047][/doublepost]

Tell me about it, I feel like I went from college to pre-school. I still haven't found a useful email widget.

I agree with you guys but for that you need to contact one of the forum admins. It would definitely be good to have a sticky of this topic as iOS10 and also link to the old widget topic.

I have seen that Airmail recently added support for an e-mail widget. However it's iOS10 only so it seems, it's not working with iOS9.x and I couldn't find any settings in the app to turn it on/off.

 

[Nozuka]

while i think this is the best widget integration of iOS yet, i still haven't found a good use for me..

but i guess i'm just not a widget guy. even on android the only one i liked whas the calendar widget on my home screen. because then i would see it when using the phone normally, instead of having to swipe to the side, where i don't normally look at.

 

[Abazigal]

You can invoke them with 3D Touch now though. Not the same I know.

View attachment 654792

I haven't set up Launcher back up again yet. Right now I have the music one, Workflow, Chronicle, Dark Sky, and Drafts.

Having to go back to the home screen is still a lot less convenient than being able to hop into the settings page of your choice from the notifications shade. I used launcher to access my Bluetooth settings a lot.

 

[spinedoc77]

Having to go back to the home screen is still a lot less convenient than being able to hop into the settings page of your choice from the notifications shade. I used launcher to access my Bluetooth settings a lot.

Won't be able to do that anymore, apple changed it.

 

[Abazigal]

Won't be able to do that anymore, apple changed it.

Yeah, I know. That was like literally the first thing I noticed after updating to iOS 10.

 

[Paco II]

What kind of settings are you looking for? The Airmail Inbox widget just provides a very simplistic interface to access the five (??) most recent emails in your inbox, showing an icon with the first letter of the sender to represent each email. Definitely seems like a first stab at it.

...
I have seen that Airmail recently added support for an e-mail widget. However it's iOS10 only so it seems, it's not working with iOS9.x and I couldn't find any settings in the app to turn it on/off.

 

[C DM]

There's another somewhat older thread about people's top widgets that might be if some interest: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/what-are-your-top-rated-widgets.1804281/

 

[Paco II]

I'm sure your intention was good, but that thread is ancient in terms of widgets. Last post was 2014.

I still like the idea of trying to get the ios8/9 thread we've discussed moved. That's an excellent thread.

There's another somewhat older thread about people's top widgets that might be if some interest: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/what-are-your-top-rated-widgets.1804281/