In Review: My 2021 Home Screen

How have widgets improved functionality on my iPhone?

The last few renditions of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS, have brought a bit of a surprise: widgets. In 2020, widgets officially arrived on the iPhone Home Screen, and subsequently the iPad in 2021.

Widgets have been on Android home screens for years — albeit not as functional — so you’re right. It’s about time.

To be fair, widgets have also been in Apple’s universe for nearly a decade, via sidearm swipe to the left. Widgets are not “new” to Apple, but they’ve allowed users to get more creative and utilize their devices more effectively.

Here it is: my 2021 Home Screen “in review.”

I am a minimalist at heart, although my fiancé would disagree, so all of my devices are set-up as such. My MacBook Air is icon-less on the desktop, my iPad Mini has only widgets on its Home Screen, and my iPhone has twelve apps on the Home Screen while the rest are shoved into the App Library.

When Apple first launched widgets on iPhone, it took awhile to get used to. I saw my friends playing with Shortcuts on their phones…