Key Takeaways
- Android widgets provide at-a-glance information and app shortcuts on your home screen.
- Third-party widgets from the Google Play Store allow you to greatly enhance the customization of your Android.
- Some of my favorite Android widgets are those that let you stay in touch with loved ones, count down the days until a vacation, or monitor the phases of the moon.
Widgets are an iconic staple of the Android operating system. These little applets run directly on your home screen and provide at-a-glance information and shortcut access to the best apps available across the OS.
Android comes with some pretty great default widgets that cover basic functions like weather, time, calendar events, etc. However, developers have managed to enrich the Google Play Store with high-quality, unique and original widgets.
Here are five third-party widgets to install as soon as you set up your new Android device.
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Five Quickly
Beautiful Countdown Widget
Pocket-lint / Google
Quickly
A fun countdown widget.
Who doesn’t love a countdown? Whether you’re counting down the days until a well-deserved vacation or you just want to know how many more days are left until the start of fall, the utility offered here is basic, yet undeniable.
Even better, Hurry widgets are easy to use, lightweight, and have the added benefit of allowing you to add a touch of uniqueness by choosing a GIF or image as the widget background.
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Four rocket
The perfect widget to keep in touch with friends and loved ones
Pocket-lint / Google
rocket
A handy widget for sending photos to loved ones.
If you have friends, family or loved ones far away, Locket is the perfect choice to keep in touch in a fun and healthy way by taking selfies and other images and sharing them with a link to their home screen.
Locket is super convenient because it means you don’t have to rely on social networking apps like Snapchat to visually connect with your loved ones. You’ll need an account to get started, but set-up is simple and easy.
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3 Widgets
A simple yet powerful widget builder with tons of options
Pocket-lint / Google
Widgets
A simple widget editor with tons of customization options.
If you’re familiar with apps like Widgetsmith on the iPhone, the same basic premise is at work here: Once downloaded, the app offers up presets for a variety of widget sizes, including 1 x 2, 2 x 2, 4 x 2, and 4 x 4 configurations.
From here, you can choose from a wide range of styles, colors and designs, making Widgeet an ideal choice for anyone who loves customization. I personally opted for the flip clock design, reminiscent of the good old days of HTC Sense, but the possibilities are varied.
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The perfect companion for daily motivation
Pocket-lint / Google
Citation Widget
A lightweight and insightful widget that displays daily quotes.
There’s something undeniably cathartic about reading an inspiring quote every day, and Quotes Widget provides a simple, lightweight tool to fulfill this desire.
There are some basic customization choices when it comes to displaying the quotes, and you can tap on the widget itself to cycle through different quotes to find the one that suits you.
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1 Phases of the Moon
The ideal widget for fans of the Earth’s natural satellite
Pocket-lint / Google
Phases of the Moon
High resolution moon phase widget for space lovers.
If you’re as into space as I am, the Moon Phases Widget is the perfect addition to your home screen. It’s a simple and easy to use widget that displays the current moon phases using high quality graphics that look great on high resolution displays.
Tapping on the widget provides some additional information like brightness, distance, sunrise and sunset times, etc. Like other apps on this list, the app has a lightweight design and is not stuffed with intrusive ads.
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