How to Add Widgets on iPhone

This article shows you how to add iPhone widgets and Smart Stacks to your iPhone home screen, how to edit them, and how to delete them.

How to Add iPhone Widgets to the Home Screen

Adding widgets to your iPhone home screen is one of the best and most fun ways to customize your iPhone. Here's how you do it:

1. Tap and hold the home screen until it goes into edit mode. Your app icons will jiggle, and there will be a + icon in the top left corner. Tap +.

2. A list of available widgets will appear on your phone. To find widgets, tap into the Search Widgets box and type in the name of an app. Beneath the search bar, there are some featured ones. You can also scroll down through the complete list.

3. When you've found an iPhone widget you want to add, tap it.

4. Most iPhone widgets offer a few different shapes and sizes so you can control how they fit onto your home screen and what information they display. Swipe side to side to see all the options your chosen widget offers. When you find the one you want, tap Add Widget.

5. The widget appears on your iPhone home screen. You can move it to a different location by tapping and dragging it, just like moving apps and folders. When you've found the place you want it, tap Done.

How to Create and Edit Smart Stacks on iPhone

Smart Stacks take iOS widgets ever further. They are a group of widgets all combined into the same space rather than just one. They let you put four or five onto your iPhone home screen but only take up the space of one. You can also swipe through the widgets within a Smart Stack or set them to scroll automatically. Here's how to use them:

1. Tap and hold the home screen until it goes into edit mode.

2. Tap + in the top left corner.

3. In the widget pop-up, tap the Smart Stack featured widget, just beneath the search bar.

4. Choose the size and shape you want the Smart Stack to be, and then tap Add Widget.

5. The Smart Stack is now on your home screen. Move it around to your preferred location for it.

Once you've added a Smart Stack to your iPhone, you can edit its contents. Here's how:

1. Tap and hold the Smart Stack. In the pop-out menu, tap Edit Stack.

2. To have the Smart Stack automatically rotate its content, slide Smart Rotate to on/green.

3. To change the widgets' order shown in the Smart Stack, tap and hold the three-line icon at the right of any widget. Then drag and drop it into a new location.

4. To delete a widget from the Smart Stack, swipe right to left across the widget and tap Delete.

   As of this writing, you can't add custom widgets to Smart Stacks. The iOS adds them automatically, and you can only remove them if you want.

How to Delete iPhone Widgets and Smart Stacks

Decided you don't like the iOS widget or Smart Stacks you've got on your iPhone home screen? Deleting a widget or Smart Stack is really easy. Here's how:

1. Tap and hold on the widget or Smart Stack you want to delete until the menu pops out (you can also wait until the apps and widgets start wiggling, too).

2. Tap Remove Widget (or the - icon if your apps are wiggling).

3. In the pop-up window, tap Remove.