Why Android Widgets are a Game-Changer

Posted by André Labonté – Senior Product Manager, Android Widgets

If you’re an Android app developer and you’re looking to boost your app’s visibility, and engagement, you should definitely consider adding widgets. These small but mighty UI elements can have a significant impact on your app’s success.

A widget is basically a UI that lives outside your main app. Widgets act like a window into your app content and a shortcut to your core features, which users can conveniently engage with right from their home screen, lock screen, or even through digital assistants.

Why Widgets are Awesome for Your App:

• More Visibility: Widgets put your brand and key features front and center on the user’s device, so they’re more likely to see it.
• Better User Engagement: By giving users quick access to important features, widgets encourage them to use your app more often.
• Increased Conversions: You can use widgets to recommend personalized content or promote premium features, which could lead to more conversions.
• Happier Users Who Stick Around: Easy access to app content and features through widgets can lead to overall better user experience, and contribute to retention.

Understanding What Users Want: Key to Good Widget Design

People use widgets for different reasons. Understanding these motivations is crucial for designing widgets that resonate.

• Customization: Users like to personalize their home screens. Think about how your app’s content can help them do that.
• Efficiency: Widgets give users quick access to the features they use a lot, which saves them time and effort. If your app has features that users would find handy to access right from their home screen, think about putting them in a widget.
• Quick Info: Some widgets are great for giving users essential info at a glance. If users often open your app for quick updates, a glanceable widget.

Building Awesome Widgets: Tips for Developers

Here’s how to make widgets that users will love:

• Focus on Value: Make sure your widget does something useful for users without them having to open the app.
• Keep it Simple: Design widgets that are easy to use and understand.
• Make it Adaptable: Test your widgets on different Android devices (phones, tablets, foldables) to make sure they work well on all of them.
• Match the Look: Design widgets that fit in with the system’s overall look by using system colors, fonts, and corner shapes.
• Make it Easy to Find: Use the widget pinning API to encourage users to add your widget from within your app. Give them good previews and descriptions so they know what it’s all about.

Get Inspired and Start Building

We encourage you to integrate widgets into your Android app strategy. For inspiration and guidance, explore our new Widget design gallery, featuring Canonical Widget Layouts.

We can’t wait to see the awesome widgets you come up with!

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This blog post is part of our series: Spotlight Week on Widgets, where we provide resources—blog posts, videos, sample code, and more—all designed to help you design and create widgets. You can read more in the overview of Spotlight Week: Widgets, which will be updated throughout the week.