Thanks to Android being open-source, there’s a myriad of widgets available on the Google Play Store. Widgets are small tools or applications that can be added to your Home screen to perform certain functions or display information, such as controlling your music or providing battery health metrics. Expansive as they can be, there’s sometimes situations where you want to build your own. Whether you’re attempting to give your device a flush aesthetic look, or you’re simply aiming to build a widget that does one specific command, starting the creation process can be easy.
While the Android Studio Project helps developers build apps and widgets, third-party widget-building apps are also available for a more generalized approach. The Google Play Store offers plenty of choices with favorable reviews, and many widget builders offer a wide array of customization. There may be a slight learning curve for creating more advanced functions, but getting the basics of widget-building can be rather simple once you know where to start.
Widgets can help bring new life to an old Android tablet, or they can really enhance your Google Pixel 10 Pro experience. When it comes to creation, there really are no limits, so be sure to experiment and try several different options to see what works best for you. It may take a bit of practice to get the design and functions you truly want, but remember that most widget-building apps offer a fair amount of user support.
Can I create my own Android widgets?
You can easily build widgets with third-party apps, such as KWGT Kustom Widget Maker. It has over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store, a 3.9-star rating, and over 47,000 reviews. There’s other options, as well. WidgetClub is another popular choice, with over a million downloads, a 4.7-star rating, and over 10,000 reviews. Be aware that both have in-app purchases.
Here’s the steps for creating custom widgets with KWGT:
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Download and install KWGT from the Google Play Store.
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Go to your Home screen and long-press on an empty area.
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Select Widgets from the menu.
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Find and select KWGT widgets.
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You’ll be presented with different sized widgets. Drag one to the Home screen.
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Tap the widget to open KWGT.
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Select Create.
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From here, tap the plus button (+) to add elements to your widget. This can be simple things, like objects or text, or more advanced items like progress bars or components for signal indicators. You can customize any element by tapping on it.
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Repeat the steps to add more elements.
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The Touch tab helps your widget perform certain actions, like opening apps or toggling settings.
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Select the Save icon when finished to save your widget.
This is just a primer lesson, as widget building can become quite complex. If you’re looking to take things further, KWGT provides options for building your own code, adding layers, and even adding functions and formulas for things like building live maps. Both KWGT and WidgetClub offer support documentation for more advanced features and creations.
