The best Android widgets range from productivity tools to detailed weather infographics. While Android phones come with widgets for Google apps like Google Calendar and Drive, you’ll find other useful and exciting widgets to complement the best Android apps. We’ve rounded up our favorite widgets in the Google Play Store. These widgets are available for all Android devices, including Google Pixel phones and the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 line.
How to add widgets to the home screen
It’s easy to add widgets to your Android screen. Long press an empty area on the phone’s home screen and select Widgets from the pop-up menu. Apps on your device with widgets appear in the list. Touch and hold the widget to place it. Android phones come with several pre-installed clock widgets, battery widgets, calendar widgets and more. Most launchers support widgets.
Alternatively, long press the app icon on the home screen and tap Widgets from the context window. Apps without widget options do not display this option.
How to customize your Android 14 lock screen
Show your personality without unlocking your phone
Create custom widgets for multiple uses
|
In-app purchases |
$5.99 |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
❌ No |
|
Date of publication |
October 14, 2015 |
If you are an advanced widget user, KWGT is a must. A simple editor lets you create personalized widget designs in no time. Some art assets require a premium upgrade (KWGT is part of Play Pass), but many are available for free. Additionally, you can configure your own widgets for digital and analog clocks, live maps, battery and memory meters, music players, text messages, and more.
2 Overdrop
Simplified and up-to-date weather information
|
In-app purchases |
$1.89 to $18.99 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
December 25, 2018 |
There’s a reason why there are so many weather widgets in the Play Store. They are useful. They show you at a glance what the conditions will be like in the next few hours, days or weeks. Overdrop is one of the best weather apps out there, and its widgets are informative, elegantly designed, and clear. Overdrop widgets are not limited to displaying weather conditions. You can add date, time, calendar and other widgets with different styles to your home screen.
Some designs and layouts require a premium upgrade. In-app purchases cost between $1.99 and $18.99, but there’s plenty to play with for free. Overdrop offers a one-time purchase as well as monthly and annual subscriptions.
3 Telegram
Cross-platform messaging
|
In-app purchases |
$1.89 to $18.99 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
September 6, 2013 |
The Telegram messaging app is feature-rich, cloud-based, and works on all platforms, including Android. Telegram offers several widgets to place on the home screen. You can add a chat widget with up to four people or groups, or a larger widget with recent Telegram chats. The chat widget offers quick access to a specific chat with one tap on the home screen.
4 My data manager
Check your data usage at a glance
|
In-app purchases |
❌ No |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
January 3, 2024 |
Not everyone works with unlimited mobile data on their phones. To avoid a huge carrier bill at the end of the month, monitor your phone’s data usage. You can set data limits from the Android OS settings menu, but there’s no easy way to check data usage from the home screen. After adding billing cycles and data limits for mobile, Wi-Fi and roaming, check your data usage live on the home screen. The app supports light and dark theme widgets.
5 Musicolet
Play local music files without opening the app
|
In-app purchases |
$10.99 to $16.99 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
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ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
June 24, 2016 |
Don’t let the music stop as you open the app and work through a series of menus to find the tunes you want. Musicolet puts playback and queue management controls on the home screen, and you can customize the widget’s appearance (including its transparency) in a variety of ways. However, Musicolet only plays local files stored on your Android device and does not work with streaming services.
The app offers an intuitive user interface, multiple queues, folder browsing, sleep timer, seamless playback, Android Auto support and playback controls from the home screen. The app also plays well with the Material You theme for picking out colors from the background when you set it up.
6 TickTick
Productivity widgets that don’t clutter your home screen
|
In-app purchases |
$0.99 to $35.99 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
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ChromeOS support |
❌ No |
|
Date of publication |
June 19, 2013 |
TickTick is the swiss army knife of a productivity app on Android. You can use it to manage tasks, view calendar events, develop habits, and calculate focus time. TickTick offers more than thirteen widgets. Depending on your preferences, you can add a calendar, today’s habits, a weekly schedule or a daily timeline widget to your home screen. All come with dark theme support. Be sure to check the default Help Timer widget to check the remaining time for a task on your phone’s home screen.
7 SeriesGuide
Stay up to date with your favorite shows
|
In-app purchases |
$4.99 to $24.99 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
September 20, 2010 |
SeriesGuide is perfect for keeping track of the movies and TV shows you’ve watched, are watching, or plan to watch. Its widget is ideal for quickly checking when your favorite shows are coming on next, the show’s airtime and date, the channel or streaming service that’s airing it, and the episode and season you’re aiming for. Pay to support the app and get more widget customization options.
8 Deepstash
Daily Inspirational Quotes
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In-app purchases |
$12.99 to $119.99 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
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Date of publication |
April 16, 2019 |
Your Android phone lets you stay connected, informed, entertained and more. Adding Deepstash can motivate and inspire you. Deepstash offers snippets from popular books, articles, podcasts and more. App widgets provide quotes and best ideas from popular books, articles and famous personalities. Add Deepstash’s quote widget to your home screen and start your day with an inspirational quote.
9 Google news
Stay up to date with current events at a glance
|
In-app purchases |
❌ No |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
June 27, 2012 |
Keeping in touch with daily developments has never been so easy. The recently revamped Google News app has a clean, crisp and informative widget that gives you the weather forecast and a snapshot of what’s happening. Tap any story to see full coverage, or let top headlines flash before your eyes while you do other work on your Android device.
10 Google Keep
Create and view notes and lists from the home screen
|
In-app purchases |
❌ No |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
March 20, 2013 |
Google Keep is a little app that absolutely can do that. Ten years after its release, Keep is still one of the best note-taking apps you can install on your phone. Adding the Google Keep widget to your home screen makes it even more useful. You can quickly review information at a glance. You can use the widget to record a short note for future reference, such as a phone number. The Google Keep widget even looks great.
11 sectograph
Simply visualize your day
|
In-app purchases |
$1.99 to $99.99 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
September 1, 2013 |
With many of us trying to fit more into each day, an app (and accompanying widget) like Sectograph can improve your schedule planning. It visualizes your calendar as a 24-hour dial. You’ll see what you should be doing and upcoming events at a glance. It’s a perfect example of how widgets can be just as useful as full apps.
12 Hurry up the countdown
Create a countdown for important events
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In-app purchases |
$1.49 per item |
|
Subscription |
❌ No |
|
ChromeOS support |
✅ Yes |
|
Date of publication |
August 4, 2017 |
Hurry Countdown is a simple yet impressive widget app. Create an event, add a start time, and drag an attractive widget to your home screen. It’s an efficient way to keep track of important events. You can also set it to send notifications about recurring events.
Dazzle your Android home screen
Android phones are still better than the iPhone when it comes to widget support. Part of that is thanks to Material You, which offers a dynamic way to customize your phone’s theme. Check to see if your favorite apps support widgets, as many do, even if they’re just shortcuts for everyday actions.