In this guide, we’ll go through some really useful widgets from six Google apps that you should add to your home screen right away.
1. Quick Capture by Google Keep
If you have a habit of taking a lot of notes on your Android device, the Quick Capture widget by Google Keep is a lifesaver. And it looks even better now with Android 12’s Material You design. With this widget, you can quickly select which kind of note you want to create without having to enter the app.
The widget lets you choose from five types of notes including text notes, lists, audio notes, drawings, and photo notes. By default, the widget uses 3x2 tiles on your home screen, but you can resize it to 2x1, 3x1, or 4x1 depending on your preference.
2. Quickly Find Places Nearby & Share Location by Google Maps
The Quickly find places nearby widget by Google Maps helps you navigate your surroundings faster by showing you recommended tiles such as Home, Restaurants, Coffee, and Hotels. By default, the widget uses 3x2 tiles on your home screen, but you can resize it to 2x2 or 4x2. You can see a minimum of four and a maximum of eight recommendations.
And with the Share Location widget, you can share your real-time location with friends and family. Simply tap the widget, set a timer for how long you want to share your location (from 15 minutes to up to one day), and share the link with someone via any of the methods provided below in the menu. The widget only takes 1x1 tile on your home screen.
3. World by Google Clock
As the name suggests, the World widget by Google Clock is a simple world clock. While other clock widgets are more limited, Google Clock lets you add a comically large number of cities—up to 32 of them!
You probably don’t need to use this feature to its max, but it’s still a great tool to show the time of several cities at once. If you’re someone who often flies internationally, has family or friends living around the world, or has clients from different cities, this widget will come in handy.
By default, the widget takes 4x2 tiles on your home screen, but you can resize it to pretty much any configuration.
4. Google News Widget
Many use Google News to catch up on relevant stories; if you’re one of them, you can use the app’s widget to see interesting headlines about the topics that you’re interested in. The recommendations are given based on what Google knows about you.
The widget also has a built-in weather tool to tell you the temperature. You can skip a headline if you don’t find it interesting or tap Full Coverage if you do and want to read the whole article. The widget takes 4x2 tiles on the home screen and cannot be resized.
5. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides Widget
If you’re someone who’s deeply invested in Google Workspace products and uses Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on a daily basis, you might find it handy to put their respective widgets on your home screen.
Each of the widgets takes just a 1x1 tile and helps you create a new document, spreadsheet, or presentation quickly.
6. Quick Actions by Google Drive
With the Drive quick actions widget by Google Drive, you can quickly search, upload, or scan files in your Google Drive. The widget takes 3x1 tiles by default but can be resized to 2x1, 3x2, or 4x1. It has the same appearance as Google Keep’s Quick Capture widget.
On the widget, you’ll see five different buttons that give you shortcuts to common tasks:
Drive: Open the Google Drive app. Search: Search files in your Drive. Upload: Upload a file from your phone’s storage to your Drive. Camera: Take a photo and instantly save it to your Drive. Add: Create a new folder, Doc, Sheet, or Slide to save in your Drive.
Populate Your Home Screen With Useful Widgets
Android 12 brought a major design refresh to the OS, revamping apps, system menus, and Google widgets. Based on the color palette you have picked for your phone, the color of these widgets will change too. But they aren’t just for users of the latest version of the operating system. Choose a widget that helps you out the most and make it a part of your home screen.
