Ideally you would have to open several apps to get all the updates for the day. But it’s Android we are talking about, and unlike other mobile operating systems, we have widgets that can be pinned right on the homescreen. Therefore, let’s see some interesting widgets that you can use on your Android phone so that you get all the new information right from the homscreen without opening any app.
Weather Widgets
Let’s start with the weather, one of the most important info one has to know if you don’t have time to look out of the window. But then you might live in a place like Bangalore (India) where it can change from a sunny day to a wind storm and rain in less than an hour. A weather widget can save you by reminding you to take a raincoat or an umbrella before you step out of the house. So here are my picks for the weather widgets
GO Weather Forecast & Widgets
GO Weather has been helping me out for many years now and I must say that there are many widgets you can choose from, but I personally like the one with the extended forecast. You can see the weather right now along with the next 4 days forecast right on your homescreen. Clicking on the app will open up the GO Weather app where you can see the hourly forecast for the day along with other details like wind, precipitation, etc. The units are in Fahrenheit by default, but can be changed Celsius along with the speed in Kms in the app settings. Also, as the look matters when it comes to widgets, the apps give the option to install various free and paid themes to go with your wallpaper.
Weather Live with Widgets Free
Weather Live is yet another free weather widget you can try out. It’s everything that GO Weather is, but also includes a widget that shows hourly forecast right on the homescreen. So if you are feeling lazy to tap the GO Weather app to get the forecast for the day, Weather Live can prove to be a friend. When you place the widget on the homescreen, you will be asked to set the location. It’s best to just leave it to auto detection. Units can be changed in the app’s settings. There are ads in the main app, but that won’t get in the way. Theme support however is not available, but the transparency can be changed while applying the widget.
News Widgets
After the weather forecast, it’s time for some news. When it comes to news, we have our specific choices. Depending upon your demographic, you can install and choose any of the apps along with the corresponding widgets. We have widgets from every major news app out there like the NY Times, BBC, TOI, etc. These widgets are good, but not that great.
News in Shorts
News in Shorts is a new kid in town which has already made many fans. The idea of the app is to give you a summary of news in under 60 words and if required, you can open the corresponding new page to read the entire story. The app automatically gives you recommenced news based upon your location. The most interesting thing about the widget is that it has a stacked card layout. Each news with an image in on a card. The widget is responsive and you can swipe on it to go directly to the next story. It’s updated in the background, ensuring you always unlock your phone to fresh news.
News Republic
News Republic is yet another News app you can try. Apart from the stacked card layout, the app has two additional formats of widgets you can use. The interesting thing about the app is that you can choose the topic you are interested in. Let’s say you are not interested in politics, and all you would want to know about is tech, science and sports. Just select the fields while applying the widgets. The widgets are responsive and you can either scroll through the headlines, or tap on the news to open the full story on the app.
Calendar Widget
Let’s now look at the appointments you have for the day.
Month Calendar Widget
When it comes to a calendar widget, it’s only the Month Calendar Widget for me. The default calendar apps are not at all interactive. You just have 3 days and that’s the scope of it. But with the Month widget, you can view and add events directly from the homescreen. Pretty convenient than opening the entire app. What makes it best is the option to apply different themes. There’s a full review that we have done for the widget and you might want to have a look at it to check out the complete assessment. Additionally: Here are 3 more widgets that might serve your needs to stay on top of your schedule.
Social Media Widget
Finally, it’s time to check in on your friends with the Hootsuite social app.
Hootsuite for Android
The Hootsuite app takes care of your Twitter, Facebook and Google+ accounts for you under a single roof. We have separate plugins for them that come under three different apps. But if you would like just one app to get all your social feeds, you might want to try out Hootsuite.
Conclusion
So these were the six widgets that you can consider to install on your Android to kick start your mornings. If there’s any additional widgets you would like to add to the list, please do mention them in the comments. I love to hear and learn new things from the ideas of my readers.
