How to Add Widgets on iPhone Home Screen — Complete Guide

Widgets turn your iPhone Home Screen from a grid of app icons into a personalised dashboard. At a glance you can see your habit streaks, upcoming countdowns, weather, calendar events, and more — all without opening an app. With iOS 26, Apple introduced a refined glass-effect design that makes widgets look better than ever.

This guide walks you through every way to add widgets on iPhone: the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy mode. We will use Left as our example app throughout, but the steps work for any app that supports widgets.

What Are iPhone Widgets?

Widgets are small panels that display live information from your apps directly on your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or in StandBy mode. Unlike app icons, widgets update in real time and come in multiple sizes:

• Small — a 2x2 square, perfect for a single piece of information like a habit streak or a countdown.
• Medium — a 2x4 rectangle, great for showing more detail such as a weekly habit chart or multiple countdowns.
• Large — a 2x8 block, ideal for rich data views like year progress or life percentage widgets.

Since iOS 17, many widgets are interactive — you can tap buttons, check off habits, or toggle settings right from the widget without launching the app. Left supports interactive widgets for marking habits complete directly from your Home Screen.

How to Add Widgets to Your Home Screen

Adding a widget to your iPhone Home Screen takes about 30 seconds. Here is the step-by-step process:

1. Enter jiggle mode. Touch and hold an empty area on your Home Screen until the app icons start to jiggle. You can also long-press any app icon and choose Edit Home Screen.
2. Open the widget gallery. Tap the + button in the top-left corner of the screen. This opens the widget gallery showing all apps that offer widgets.
3. Search for the app. Use the search bar at the top to find the app you want. For example, type Left to see its habit tracker, countdown, and life widgets.
4. Pick a style and size. Swipe left and right through the available widget styles. Each style comes in small, medium, and large sizes. Choose the one that fits your layout.
5. Tap Add Widget. The widget drops onto your Home Screen. While still in jiggle mode, drag it to your preferred position.
6. Configure the widget. Long-press the widget and tap Edit Widget. This lets you choose what the widget displays — for example, which specific habit or countdown to track in Left.

How to Add Widgets to Your Lock Screen

Lock Screen widgets give you quick information without even unlocking your phone. They are smaller than Home Screen widgets but very useful for things like countdown timers, habit streak counts, or weather at a glance.

1. Long-press the Lock Screen. Touch and hold your Lock Screen until the customisation options appear, then tap Customize.
2. Select Lock Screen. Choose the Lock Screen option (not the Home Screen).
3. Tap the widget area. Tap the widget row below the clock. A widget picker appears showing available Lock Screen widgets.
4. Choose your widget. Find the app you want (like Left) and tap the widget style you prefer. Lock Screen widgets come in circular and rectangular inline sizes.
5. Tap Done. Your Lock Screen widget is now active and will update in real time.

Left offers Lock Screen widgets for habit streaks, countdown days remaining, and year/life progress — all designed to be readable at small sizes.

How to Add Widgets to StandBy

StandBy is the full-screen mode that activates when your iPhone is charging in landscape orientation. It turns your phone into a bedside clock or a smart display, and it supports widgets.

1. Activate StandBy. Place your iPhone on a charger in landscape orientation. StandBy appears automatically (you may need to enable it in Settings > StandBy).
2. Long-press the screen. Touch and hold the left or right widget column to enter edit mode.
3. Tap the + button. Browse or search for widget apps just like the Home Screen widget gallery.
4. Add and arrange. Select your widget and position it in the StandBy layout.

StandBy is perfect for countdown widgets — you can fall asleep seeing exactly how many days until your holiday, or wake up to your habit streak motivating you to keep going.

How to Remove or Rearrange Widgets

Managing your widgets is straightforward:

• Remove a widget: Long-press the widget, then tap Remove Widget. Confirm by tapping Remove.
• Move a widget: Enter jiggle mode (long-press the Home Screen), then drag the widget to a new position or to a different Home Screen page.
• Resize a widget: Remove the current widget and add a new one in a different size. iOS does not support resizing an existing widget in place.
• Edit a Smart Stack: Long-press the stack and tap Edit Stack to reorder, remove, or add widgets within the stack.

iOS 26 Widget Features

iOS 26 brought a significant visual update to widgets across the system. Here is what changed:

• Glass effect. Widgets now feature a translucent glass material that blends with your wallpaper. The frosted glass look gives the entire Home Screen a more cohesive and modern feel.
• Updated styling. Widget corners, shadows, and typography have been refined. Colours adapt more fluidly to light and dark modes.
• Tinted mode. You can apply a custom tint colour to all your Home Screen icons and widgets for a unified look.

Left fully supports all iOS 26 widget features, including the glass effect and tinted mode. All Left widgets — habit trackers, countdowns, year progress, and life widgets — look right at home with the new design language.

Best Widget Apps for iPhone

There are thousands of widget apps on the App Store. Here are some of the best ones worth trying:

When choosing widget apps, look for ones that support interactive widgets, multiple sizes, and iOS 26 glass styling. Apps that are actively maintained will take advantage of the latest features.

Troubleshooting: Widget Not Showing Up?

If you cannot find an app's widget in the widget gallery, try these steps:

1. Open the app at least once. Many apps only register their widgets with iOS after you have launched the app for the first time. Open Left (or whatever app you are looking for), then go back to the widget gallery.
2. Restart your iPhone. A simple restart can fix most widget issues. Hold the side button and volume button, then slide to power off. Turn it back on after a few seconds.
3. Check your iOS version. Some widgets require a minimum iOS version. Make sure you are running iOS 26 or later by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
4. Reinstall the app. If the widget still does not appear, delete and reinstall the app from the App Store.
5. Check widget settings. Some widgets require you to configure data in the app first. For example, you need to create at least one habit in Left before the habit widget can display anything.