Mobile Phones Android 102 102 people found this article helpful The 11 Best Free Widgets for Android Make your life easier with widgets for your phone by Tricia Goss Writer Tricia Goss has been a writer and editor for 10+ years. She's written tips and tutorials for Microsoft Office applications and other sites. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tricia Goss Updated on April 18, 2020 reviewed by Michelle Adeola Adelufosi Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Michelle Adeola Adelufosi is a marketing consultant with 9 years' experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design. our review board Article reviewed on Jul 12, 2020 Michelle Adeola Adelufosi Android Switching from iOS Tweet Share Email Android widgets are mini mobile apps that run on your device’s home screen. Your device includes several pre-loaded widgets, but you can download more from Google Play. These widgets are available for most Android smartphones and tablets. Check individual system requires to make sure they work with your device. How to Add Widgets to Android To add widgets to the home screen on Android devices: Press and hold a blank spot on your home screen until a menu pops up at the bottom of the screen.Tap Widgets and scroll through the available options.Touch and hold the widget you want to add.Drag and drop it onto a free space on your home screen. Some phone manufacturers offer widgets exclusively for their devices. For example, you can download Samsung widgets from the Galaxy Store. Top Free Widgets for Android You can snag many great widgets for free from Google Play, although some offer in-app purchases or upgrades. Download the corresponding app and following the instructions above to add the widget to your screen. 01 of 11 Best Weather Widget for Android: 1Weather Forecast Radar What We Like Highly customizable. Provides in-depth details including weekly forecast and UV index. What We Don't Like You might have to refresh it manually to see the current temperature. Frequent updates change how the widget looks. One of the most popular weather apps for Android, 1Weather has widgets that come in many shapes and sizes. After choosing one of the many widget options and setting your location, you can view the current conditions and temperature at a glance. Some versions provide more information than others, so you can decide how detailed you want your forecasts to be. Tap on the widget to customize the display. Download 1Weather 02 of 11 Monitor Your Battery Life: Battery Widget Reborn What We Like Customize text, background colors, and what happens when you tap the widget. Especially helpful for visually impaired users. What We Don't Like The free version displays ads every time you close the configuration window. Upgrade required to remove the battery notification from the status bar and lock screen. The Battery Reborn widget is available in two versions. There is a circle configuration, which you can set up to display the temperature and remaining battery time, and a chart option that shows your battery usage over time. You can use this information to determine which apps take the biggest toll on your battery. Download Battery Widget Reborn 03 of 11 Never Miss an Email: Blue Mail Widget What We Like Supports virtually every type of email account. Create custom signatures for each email address. What We Don't Like The 1x1 widget only shows the number of emails in your inbox. Limited search and filtering options. Although it's possible to set up email notifications on Android, the Blue Mail widget makes it easier to monitor your inbox from your home screen. Tapping on the display opens the client, which has an intuitive interface and several useful features including the ability to set reminders to follow up on an email at a specific time. You can even view multiple email accounts in a unified folder. Download Blue Mail Widget 04 of 11 System Settings Shortcuts: Custom Switches What We Like Choose which switches you want on your home screen. Customize the color and appearance of individual switches. What We Don't Like Must pay to remove ads and customize switches. You can't toggle settings directly from the home screen. There's no need to go digging through your device's settings to find the brightness, Bluetooth, or airplane mode options. The Custom Switches widget places shortcuts to these controls right on your home screen. The "switches" don't actually allow you to toggle these settings, but tapping one takes you to that setting on your device where you can then turn it off or on. Download Custom Switches 05 of 11 Keep Track of Your Plans: Event Flow Calendar Widget What We Like View the weather forecast for up to one week. View calendar events for up to three months. What We Don't Like Premium upgrade required to use the many customization options. Find out what's on your agenda and how you should dress for your appointments with the Event Flow Calendar widget. This Android widget can display information from multiple calendars as well as the local weather. If you already use Google Calendar, you can sync it with Event Flow to get reminders on your home screen. Download Event Flow Calendar Widget 06 of 11 Find Your Keys: Flashlight+ What We Like Turn on your phone's flashlight with one-tap. The Flashlight+ app includes a compass. What We Don't Like No ads or premium features. You can't resize the button or make any other customizations. When you need a flashlight on the fly, this nifty widget is super handy. It's nothing more than a little button that toggles the bright light from your phone's camera app on and off, but it beats digging through menus in the dark. Download Flashlight+ 07 of 11 Simplified Searches: Google What We Like Get quick answers to questions. Identify songs with one tap. What We Don't Like No way to resize or customize the appearance of the widget. You don't need to open a browser to check the latest sports scores, look up an address, or discover the answer to the random question that popped into your head. This widget gives you instant access to Google Search. If you tap the microphone, you can do a voice search. If music is playing, Google will tell you what you're listening to. Download Google 08 of 11 Track Your Data Usage: My Data Manager What We Like Monitor your mobile data usage from your home screen. Takes up minimal screen space. What We Don't Like Must manually enter your billing dates, data cap, and current usage to receive accurate tracking. This widget is helpful if you want to monitor your data usage to keep your phone bill down. You can monitor your mobile data, Wi-Fi, and roaming usage as well as call minutes and text messages. Using the My Data Manager app, you can also monitor usage in a shared family plan and set up alarms to let you know when you are getting close to your limits. Download My Data Manager 09 of 11 Keep Your Appointments: Sectograph Planner & Time Manager What We Like Cool interface. Details sync with your Google calendar. What We Don't Like Not compatible with other calendars or agendas. When you tap on an item, the settings open rather than the specific event. Visual learners will appreciate the layout of this widget, which makes it easy to check out your plans for the day. The pie chart format breaks down your tasks and appointments in colorful slices based on the times you have them scheduled. Download Sectograph Planner & Time Manager 10 of 11 Advanced Volume Control: Slider Widget What We Like Control the volume, screen brightness, and more. Set different volumes for apps, alarms, and ringtones. What We Don't Like The icons are a little too small. If you've ever tried to adjust the volume on your phone and accidentally turned off your ringer, you will appreciate this widget. With four different configuration options, you can have quick access to as many or as few volume settings as you wish. For example, you can choose different volumes for your apps, alarms, and ringtones for your Android phone. Download Slider Widget 11 of 11 Name That Tune: SoundHound What We Like Better than Google's music search feature. All you need to do is hum the tune. What We Don't Like Must upgrade to the premium versions to get rid of ads, receive extra features, and identify unlimited songs. You've had a tune stuck in your head for three days and cannot for the life of you remember the title or even the lyrics. You try humming it for a friend or whistling it to a coworker, but nobody can help. This widget can give you the answers you seek. Play, sing, or hum a song and SoundHound will do its best to not only recognize it but also provide listening options on sites such as Spotify and Youtube. Download SoundHound