iOS 14 Widgets FAQ
- What's new?
- What's new in World Clock Widget?
- Can I keep the old widget?
- Can I see minutes and seconds in the iOS 14 widget?
- Can I do "time travel" in the iOS 14 widget?
- I want the old features to work in iOS 14 widgets, what can I do?
What's new in Widgets in iOS 14?
Apple has redesigned Widgets in iOS 14. You can now place Widgets inline on your home screen!
To make this work Apple have taken away a couple of features that were available in "legacy" Widgets:
- iOS 14 Widgets cannot show a "live" display, what you see is a single snapshot
- iOS 14 Widgets cannot be interactive, e.g. no buttons
I am optimistic that Apple will bring back these features in future, however for iOS 14 those are the rules.
What's new in World Clock Widget?
The watchword for iOS 14 widgets is "glanceability". With that in mind we've added a focus on giving a quick overview of the time around the world.
There is an indicator to show if each city is: - in office hours - in day light (but outside office hours) - night time/after dark
In the wide widget we show a Timeline View which makes it clear at a glance where all your timezones are in their day relative to each other.
Can I keep the old widget?
Yes! The old/legacy/iOS 13 Widget can run with all the existing features. Legacy Widgets run on the Widgets screen under iOS 14 Widgets.
Can I see minutes and seconds in the iOS 14 Widget?
Apple does not allow widgets to update in real-time or even near real-time. This means that showing widgets with the live time is only possible for Apple.
I have added extra functionality to the new widgets to more than make up for this loss.
Can I do "time travel" in the iOS 14 Widget?
Apple does not allow Widgets to be interactive "mini-apps".
When you tap the Timeline View in the medium Widget it takes you straight into time travel mode in the app.
I want the old features to work in iOS 14 widgets, what can I do?
I want this too! Please let Apple know, the more people they hear from the more likely they are to make improvements in this area next year.