Android OS is one of the most flexible operating systems smartphones have ever seen. You can customize just about anything, even your phone’s launcher and software. When it comes to features, one of the best things about Android OS is its ability to use widgets.
Being able to put widgets on your home screen is indeed an attractive feature, thus giving Android a slight edge over iOS. This is because widgets give you extra functionality and offer convenient solutions to problems. In this article, we’ll show you some of the best widgets you can use to customize your Android phone’s home screen.
What Is A Widget For On Android?
First, what exactly is a widget? Well, Android widgets are things you can drag to your home screen for extra functionality. After being popularized by Samsung widgets, they have become commonplace for any smartphone setup.
Some widgets give you extra features like displaying a calendar and date or time and weather on your home screen. Other widgets may also function as a to-do list — showing you a rundown of the things you need to accomplish throughout the day or week. No matter what they’re for, widgets are functional items you ought to have on your phone.
Are Widgets Free?
Some widgets do require fees while others come as free to use right off the bat. It all depends on which app you download as well as their corresponding functionality. But more often than not, people don’t really like paying for widgets since there are so many out there. Nonetheless, some widgets are worth paying for.
Will Widgets Slow Down My Phone?
In general, widgets may occasionally slow down your phone. Chances are, the more features a widget has, the larger amount of storage space you’ll need. Fortunately, some of the best widgets for Android nowadays have a variety of features and at the same time only require less space. It’s basically a matter of choosing the right widget that fits your needs and won’t compromise the overall performance of your phone.
Best Widgets For Your Android Phone
Nowadays, there are thousands of widgets available on the Google Play Store. However, not all of them are worth downloading for. So, to save you the trouble of having to try a bunch of widgets, here’s our list of the ’20 Best Widgets for your Android Phone’, in no particular order.
1. Android Pro Widgets
Android Pro Widgets isn’t just one widget. It’s a versatile widget app. Downloading this app will give you a plethora of different widgets. In this pack, you’ll receive separate widgets for your calendar, contacts, and bookmarks.
It even extends to social media apps like Facebook and Twitter, so you can browse them instantly on your home screen. The app allows you to scroll through your social media timeline for as long as you like. You can also customize the widgets to your liking.
2. Countdown Widget
Have you ever missed an event by completely forgetting about it? Fret not because with the Countdown Widget, you’ll never have to worry about that again. It’s a customizable widget with breathtaking effects and beautiful themes. This is easily one of the best widget apps for Android when it comes to reminders. The widget doesn’t have ads, but using the app itself does have ads. Although, a premium version exists with an ad-free experience.
3. Droidpet Widget
Are you bored of having a stale widget on your home screen? Are you tired of looking at your calendar all the time and want something fresh? Well, Droidpet is a gamechanger. From your home screen, you can take care of a pet. This is great for people with allergies to animals.
It’s also a perfect widget for passing the time. Let’s say you have a long train ride, you can use this widget and without even noticing, you’ve already arrived at your destination. You can even take care of several pets at once and play with them. Basically, it’s a full-fledged game in the form of a widget.
4. Event Flow Calendar Widget
Having a calendar widget can be super useful, especially for planning events. But what’s better is a non-intrusive calendar that displays all the details of your plans. Event Flow Calendar Widget does just that and more.
It’s a huge upgrade over a regular calendar widget. What’s more, is that there are several customization options for you to try out. There are even various layouts that you can use as well. You can also view your calendar and agenda at the same time.
5. Evernote Widget
Evernote is a widget that has full features and functions as a note-taking app. Its premium subscription may come at $8 a month, but it’s all worth it. You have a scrollable list of all the notes you’ve jotted down, categories of notes, and recently created notes. You can even put in tags and images in the notes.
With Evernote, you can also take notes using your voice. In this sense, it also appears like a voice recorder app. In terms of reviews, it is one of the best note-taking widgets for Android. Although the customization options aren’t as hefty as other widgets, it’s still a great app overall.
6. Google Calendar
Google has no need for an introduction. It’s a versatile brand that branches into several categories, one of which is a calendar app. Taking reviews into account, Google Calendar is deemed as one of the best planning and organizing widgets for Android.
It gives you a full calendar view and you can make plans for specific times and dates. It even gives you reminders for them. It’s also connected to your Google account, so you can include other people in your plans via e-mail.
7. Hurry
Another great countdown widget is Hurry. This widget app counts down the days until a holiday, meeting, vacation, or anniversary. Essentially, Hurry tracks any important date you could imagine.
The widget comes equipped with customizations specifically for its look and color. You can personalize it to fit your wallpaper’s theme. You can even use GIFs or images as the background for it. It’s a simplistic yet highly functional widget.
8. KWGT Kustom Widget Maker
KWGT is quite unique. Instead of trying to find the right widget for your needs, why not just make one? Well, KWGT Kustom Widget Maker lets you do this by offering you a widget editor.
You can make tons of stylish widgets that display your CPU speed, battery, alarms, and others. It can even show you the current time and weather. When it comes to features, KWGT is undefeated as one of the best widgets for Android.
9. Month:Calendar Widget
If you like having an overview of your whole month in a calendar display, then this widget is right for you. It gives you a clean calendar that makes it easy to tell what day it is. The widget also tells the plan you made for specific dates.
Some people think this app has an edge over Google Calendar. To them, Google Calendar is cluttered and occasionally hard to understand. As an alternative, this widget puts small dots on days that you have plans on. These dots represent things you need to accomplish on that specific day.
10. Netflix
Although Netflix is widely regarded as the premier streaming app, there’s something most people don’t know about it. This is the fact that you can have Netflix on your home screen. That’s right, Netflix has options for widgets!
While the widget of Netflix takes up quite a bit of space on your home screen, it’s still pretty useful. It allows you to look at series you’re currently watching and even displays the popular trending flicks. You can also launch the actual app with the widget.
11. Overdrop
Overdrop is an app that shows you the weather. Having the widget on your home screen is quite useful. It displays data on weather forecasts, battery percentage, and current weather conditions.
The user interface is incredibly intuitive and the app is relatively easy to use. The icons are also easy to understand. Overdrop even has options for a dark mode to make the widget more pleasing to the eyes.
Download on iOS
Download on Android
12. Plug-In Music Widget
If you’re looking for a music player to put on your home screen, look no further. Plug-In Music Widget has all the basic functions of a music player app but puts it on your home screen. You no longer have to find your music app just to play all your favorite tunes. The widget can also be personalized to your liking, as you can customize playlists.
If you are using Spotify to stream music, you can also use Spotify’s widget that comes pre-installed when you download the app.
13. Sectograph Planner & Time Manager
Sectograph Planner & Time Manager is a truly innovative widget app. It displays everything you need to do within the next 12 hours. Sectograph does this in a clock format that is extremely pleasing to the eyes.
Additionally, you can press any event on the clock and it will display all the information about it. Because of this feature, some liken the widget to having a smartwatch on your home screen. The pro version gives you a 24-hour format instead of 12 for only $4. Due to its excellent features and innovative design, Sectograph is one of the best widgets for Android.
14. Stuff
Ever wanted a list of all the stuff you have to do within the week? Well, Stuff has got your back. It shows you everything today, tomorrow, and the upcoming days. You can even put in things you want to do but don’t have a deadline yet.
What’s great about Stuff is that it doesn’t intrude on your phone activity and takes up a minuscule amount of space. When talking about to-do lists, this widget app is among the best there is for Android.
15. Today In History Widget
Do you want a widget that tells you relevant news? If you do, then Today in History is perfect for you. This widget takes information from several different sources and gives you recent happenings.
It takes information from agencies like the New York Times and BBC then presents it to you in real-time. Moreover, you don’t necessarily need to be connected to a WiFi network just to get information. This is a great option for those who want to be updated on world news.
16. Todoist
Another decent to-do list widget is Todoist. In terms of design, it has a clean, pleasant look and an even better interface. Planning your day has never been easier. It also reminds you whenever you need to do something.
You can create tasks and due dates among other functions. It also gives you more features if you avail of the premium version. Overall, Todoist is a solid option among planning and organizing widget apps.
17. Tripit
Tripit is perfect for travelers. Its widget is worth sacrificing your entire home screen to when you’re on a trip. It organizes your itineraries and things to do for the day. You can use it to forward your itinerary to your e-mail and view select e-mails directly.
This widget app comes with a pro version at $49 a year. The pro version is a significant upgrade from the free version because it gives you flight updates in real-time. It basically is an essential app for globetrotters out there.
Download on iOS
Download on Android
18. UCCW – Ultimate Custom Widget
UCCW is praised as one of the best widget maker apps along with KWGT. It wouldn’t be called the ultimate custom widget-maker for nothing, right? With it, you can freely create widgets at will because it has a massive editing toolbox for you to utilize.
This widget-maker is perfect for any situation. Whether you want a clock, a flashlight, a battery reporter, or weather reports, UCCW can provide it all. Decorating your home screen with widgets has never been this better.
19. Weather & Clock Widget For Android
You might think having a widget that tells you both time and weather at once is quintessential. In that regard, the Weather & Clock Widget is the quick answer to your quandary. Here, you’ll have a widget that tells you current weather conditions, hourly forecasts, and the app itself does a lot more. Also, the widget doesn’t take up much space. It’s widely regarded as one of the best Android clock widget apps out there.
20. Wizz Widget
Wizz is a collection of different widgets for apps you usually use. It lets you scroll through your calendar or view Facebook posts freely. You can have either one Wizz widget or a bunch of them on your home screen. The transparency and background of the widgets are also fully customizable.
The Bottom Line
Widgets are a cornerstone of smartphones. Nowadays, they’re everywhere on Google Play. And with shedloads of widgets available out there, it’s so hard to choose the best widgets for Android. The least we could do is to give you some information, but deciding on a good widget that fits your needs is still up to you.
