Hey there! As an Android pro user for over 5 years, I‘ve experimented with hundreds of widgets to build my optimal customized home screen. Widget functionality is easily Android‘s biggest edge over iOS. Just ask my Apple loyalist friends who glance over enviously at all the info I can access instantly.
So whether you just got your first Android device or consider yourself a power user, this guide covering the 12 best widgets across various categories will have something useful for you!
I‘ll also compare top alternatives and share plenty of tips to help you become a widget wizard in no time. Let‘s dive in!
A Glance at Android‘s Killer Widget Capabilities
Widget platforms have advanced tremendously on Android in recent years. As per Statista, over 65% of Android users leverage widgets on their homescreens. The average user has installed 5-7 widgets they interact with daily.
What makes widgets so popular? They allow you to view crucial app content without needing to actually open the app. Love staying up-to-date with news but find opening a dedicated news app too distracting? Add your favorite news site as a widget instead for quick headline glances.
Widgets also enable powerful customization and personalization since you can dictate exactly what content you want rapid access to based on your needs and interests.
While iOS 16 finally introduced widget functionality, Android still reigns supreme when it comes to flexibility and deep integrations.
Widget Management 101
Before jumping into the best ones across different categories, let‘s quickly cover how to find, add, arrange and customize widgets.
Accessing the Widget Tray
The process is quite straight-forward on most modern Android versions (6.0+):
- Long press on any empty area of your home screen
- Select the "Widgets" option from pop-up menu
- Browse the available widgets (both pre-loaded and downloaded)
Older Android versions may require you to tap your Menu button instead to access widgets.
Adding and Removing
Found a widget you want? Just tap on it from the widget tray to instantly add it to the home screen.
To remove, long press the actual widget on your home screen and select the Delete option.
Arranging and Resizing
Once added, you can drag widgets around your home screen arranged however you wish.
You can also long press a widget and select "Resize" to expand widgets to take up more screen space or shrink them down.
Not all widgets can be resized though. Plus resizing very small may truncate the content.
Now let‘s explore the best Android widgets across 5 key categories starting with productivity!
Top Productivity Widgets
Save hours every week with these handy widgets designed for task management, planning, notes and organization.
1. Todoist – Best Task Manager
Todoist has earned its place as one of the most robust and user-friendly task managers. The Todoist widget perfectly complements the app functionality by showing your top tasks and allowing quick adds.
I like expanding it taller to view even my Project sections and upcoming tasks. One tap and I can jump directly into Todoist too for managing everything.
Real User Take: "Being able to instantly see and update my priority tasks from the Todoist widget has been a total game changer for my productivity. I no longer feel anxious about forgetting things." – Mary L., Marketer
Key Features
✔️ View top tasks sorted by project or date
✔️ One-tap quick add for new tasks
✔️ Jumps to Todoist app with taps
✔️ Resize vertically for more tasks
Alternatives: TickTick, Microsoft To-Do
2. Google Keep – Best Notes Widget
Google Keep remains my go-to quick notes app given the reliable syncing across devices. The home screen widget makes accessing notes even more convenient.
The default view shows your last few note titles. Expand vertically to show more or even the beginning of note content. Tapping opens the full note.
I rely on Keep throughout my day so having the widget has become indispensable!
Key Features
✔️ Preview full notes
✔️ Quick access to create notes
✔️ Color coded notes
✔️ Available in various sizes
Alternatives: OneNote, Samsung Notes
3. Business Calendar – events at a glance
I aforementioned how valuable calendar access is from your home screen. Business Calendar has one of the most robust widgets for quickly seeing upcoming events.
Change views from month to week to day. Resize to control number of events shown. Color coding and symbols indicate event types like meetings, holidays, travel, etc.
Tapping any event launches directly into Business Calendar to manage schedules, invitees, and details.
Key Features
✔️ Multiple calendar views – month, week, day
✔️ Resize to control number of events shown
✔️ Color coding for fast visual queues
✔️ Highly customizable
Alternatives: Google Calendar, Motivate
And that covers my top 3 recommend Android widgets for productivity!
Up next we‘ll tackle the best widgets for…
