Widgetsmith FAQs

iOS 18 Questions

  • iOS requires Actions to pass through the app that created them. That quick black window is Widgetsmith performing the action and launching the requested application. 

  • After acquiring a set of home screen icons, save them to the Files app on your device as a .zip file.

    Locate the .zip in Files, and long press on it. Select Share, then choose Widgetsmith from the Share Sheet.

  • Send us an email with details at support@crossforward.com

  • Long press on your Lock screen and tap Customize. Once you’re editing the Lock screen, tap the minus (-) button on the Actions already present at the bottom of the screen.

    Once one is cleared, press the + button that took its place, and select Widgetsmith from the menu that appears.

    Tap the Widgetsmith placeholder to choose which Action you want to enable.

  • Sorry about that this is a known bug when running version 6 of Widgetsmith on iOS 18.

    Please update to the latest version of Widgetsmith in the App Store (v 7.0.1+). That should fix it for you.

  • When editing your Home Screen, Widgetsmith may not appear in the list of available widgets. Rebooting your device should fix this issue.

General Questions

  • Here’s how to get your widgets onto your home screen:

    1. Customize the widget in Widgetsmith

    2. Go to your home screen

    3. Long press anywhere on the screen to get into “jiggle mode”

    4. Press the “+” button to add a widget

    5. Search “Widgetsmith” in widgets

    6. Select the size widget you have customized and press “Add Widget”

    7. Tap on the widget and then select the name of your custom widget from the list

    8. While you are still in jiggle mode you can rearrange your widgets on your home screen

    9. Tap “done” when you are finished.

    TIP: Rename your widget to make it easier to find when you add it to your home screen.

  • Sometimes, recently-installed apps do not appear as available when selecting widgets for the lock or home screen.

    A reboot can often fix this.

    If not, as a workaround several users have found that if they open the main Apple Settings app, then open General > Language & Region > Calendar. Switch it to another calendar and then back to your preferred one.

    This seems to prompt iOS to rebuild its widget list which makes Widgetsmith appear.

  • While on the main widget list screen, swipe from right to left along the widget you want to delete. Then press the "Delete" button that appears.

  • Unfortunately, no. Apple’s iOS requires the app name to be listed underneath each app and widget.

    (This label is hidden on the iPad home screen. Go figure.)

  • Widgetsmith lets you add custom elements to your Home Screen, but to actually change app icons you need to use Apple's Shortcuts app. Here is an overview from 9to5Mac on how to do so.

  • Thanks for your interest in having Widgetsmith in another language other than English, but we aren’t able to localize the app into any other languages at this time. Sorry about that!

  • On April 1, 2023, Apple shut down the Dark Sky service, which as providing weather data to Widgetsmith.

    Starting in Widgetsmith 4.2.1, the system was updated to move to Apple’s WeatherKit service.

    If your widgets aren't loading it likely means that you need to update your version of Widgetsmith in the App Store. You can find it here.

  • The top left number is the temperature. The large icon on the top right is the current condition (cloudy, sunny etc). Then there are four small icons underneath: in order from left to right there is % precipitation (raincloud), UV index (thermometer and sun), wind speed (wind icon) and percent humidity (water droplet).

iOS 17 Questions

  • There seems to be an issue where the system will sometimes reset third-party widgets to their default state. This means all of your same-sized widgets will show the same content.

    If you long-press on a widget on your home screen, select “Edit Widget,” you should be able to choose one of your other photos.

  • It seems like the first time an iPhone starts up after a reboot or update in iOS 17, it has to rebuild the widget system and while this process is happening all the widgets show as either white or black (depending on if dark mode is active).

    Typically after a few minutes they will all fill in and start to run as normal again. If after an hour or so they aren't then restarting your iPhone to see if that will kick things off again.

  • Music widgets require an active Apple Music subscription in order to play your selected songs.

    There is a link in the Music tab of the widget editor to join Apple Music if you aren't already.

iOS 16 Questions

  • There is an issue with the iOS 16 update where certain photo widgets are being shown as gray boxes.

    What we have found often works to get them fixed is to open the affected widget and then reselect the photo you want shown. This typically gets it to appear again.

  • It looks like there is a bug in iOS 16 where right after install it doesn't correctly pick up lock screen widgets right away. A reboot can often fix this.

    If not, as a workaround several users have found that if they open the main Apple Settings app, then open General > Language & Region > Calendar. Switch it to another calendar and then back to your preferred one. This seems to prompt iOS to rebuild its widget list which makes Widgetsmith appear.

  • There is a known issue in iOS 16.1 where Apple is blocking widgets from reading data and so they get stuck and will no longer update.

    We haven't found a way to work around this yet, so it’s best to update to a newer version of iOS.

visionOS Questions

  • To create your first widger, browse the Widget Gallery to start with an example widget, or select “Create a Widget” in the “My Widgets” section of the app. To create additional widgets, revisit the Gallery or select the + button in the upper-right corner of the “My Widgets” screen.

  • Navigate to the “My Widgets” screen, look at the widget you would like to place in your environment, then tap it

  • To close a widget, look at it and select the small x button under it

  • Navigate to the “My Widgets” section of the Widgetsmith app, then pinch and hold on the widget you would like to interact with. Choose “Configure Widget” to edit it, or “Delete Widget” to remove it.

  • With visionOS being a brand-new platform, there are some features that Widgetsmith relies on that aren’t present yet. We will be adding additional widget types in future updates.

  • To celebrate the launch of Widgetsmith on Apple Vision Pro, all premium features will be available to all visionOS users during the initial launch period. Enjoy!

  • Look at the widget you’d like to change, and pinch and hold on the rounded control just outside the widget itself. Drag that control to make the widget smaller or larger.

  • This will be coming in a future update to Widgetsmith of visionOS.

Aesthetics & Personalization

  • To apply an aesthetic, open the Widgetsmith app and then select the existing widget you want to change, or press “Add Widget” to create a new one.

    To customize the look, press the widget and scroll down to the “Aesthetic/Theme” title. There you will see a variety of themes to choose from.

    Once selected, you can also press “Customize Theme” to further personalize the background, font, tint color, border and also add artwork such as the fall themed pumpkins (some artwork is for premium subscribers only).

    Once you have the style you want, you can choose whether to “apply to this widget only” or to “update theme everywhere”.

    If you update theme everywhere, then every widget you select with this theme moving forward will have your same customized look.

  • Yes and no.

    There are three sizes to choose from – small (square), medium (horizontal rectangle) and large (square). We are confined to those three sizes and shapes by the iOS platform.

    The iPad also includes an Extra Large size in iPadOS 15 and later.

  • Any widget type that has a tile labeled “tint color” or “background color” within the aesthetic/theme tile is customizable to be whatever color you would like.

    You can select from our set of pre-determined colors, or select “custom” to pick a specific color on the spectrum by running your finger along the color chooser.

    To save this color to be used later, click the “+” icon underneath the color chooser and it will save up to six personalized colors for you to apply in all of your widgets.

  • Open Widgetsmith → Settings → Calendar Settings. There you can select whichever day of the week you’d like to begin with.

Photos

  • Widgetsmith lets you set a specific photo or album or for display on the widget. If you select “Photos in Album” the widget will keep switching between pictures from this album throughout the day. If you select “Photo” you can choose one picture that will be a static image on your widget.

    To setup a single photo widget:

    • Open “Widgetsmith”

    • Tap on the size of widget you want to use

    • Tap on the “Default Widget” option to edit it

    • Select “Photo” for a plain photo widget, or one of the other options if you want overlays.

    • Make sure to allow the app to “access all photos” so that the app can show you your pictures!

    • Once you pick the type of photo you want, a new tile called “Selected Photo” will appear at the bottom of the screen.

    • Press “Choose Photo” to see all of your camera roll pictures. You can search or filter within that screen just like in the Photos app to find the image you want.

    • You can swipe and pinch the photo to change how it is aligned within the widget

    • Select the image and then hit save. You can also change the name of the widget using “tap to rename” so that you’ll be able to remember which widget you made when placing it on your home screen.

  • In the Style chooser, the app has multiple different photo options.

    You can choose a photo in a variety of formats or select “Photos in Album” which will keep switching between pictures from this album throughout the day (once every 15 mins or so).

    For each of these you select which photo is displayed in the "Selected Photo" area.

  • Unfortunately not. iOS doesn't permit any animation or video content in widgets. They must be completely static.

Troubleshooting

  • Sometimes you’ll see a grey box when the content you customized is not accessible. Check to make sure that you didn’t accidentally delete the widget you configured in Widgetsmith.

    If you did, just hard press on the widget, select “Edit Widget” and choose a new widget from the list of widget options (press the blue word).

    If you don’t see any widgets you want to use, you can always configure a new one in Widgetsmith.

    If you have installed a widget to your home screen and it’s just a grey box with no text, it is an iOS bug, try restarting your phone.

  • If you see a black box where your content should be, it means the app doesn’t have access to your photo library any more.

    Try opening Widgetsmith and reselecting the photo. If that doesn’t work, open the Settings tab in Widgetsmith and tap on “App Privacy Permissions.” Then tap “Manage” in the Photos section and ensure “Full Access” is enabled.

  • Unfortunately, sometimes iOS stops updating widgets. When this happens opening and closing Widgetsmith or restarting your iPhone typically gets it started again.

Widgetsmith Premium

  • Yes! Most of the features of the app are completely free. If you would like to become a Premium Subscriber, that will provide you with additional features and support the app's continued development.

  • Showing a small ad in the app allows you to use Widgetsmith completely free with no charge.

    If you do want to remove ads, become a Premium Subscriber and that will remove ads in the app as well as giving you access to great additional features like weather data and beautifully crafted custom themes.

    Thanks for your support!

  • Sorry to hear that the subscription isn’t providing enough value for you!

    The app is dependent on subscribers for us to continue to improve and develop the app (and subscriptions will give you awesome additional features like weather and tide data, with more perks to come!)

    If you do want to cancel, open the “settings” inside Widgetsmith and then select “Manage Membership” -> “Manage Subscription”. This will allow you to cancel your membership.