New additions and old favorites to make your Android home screen more useful
Widgets are a classic example of where Android can go right and wrong. Pick some great widgets, and your phone transforms into a more powerful tool. Pick bad ones, and your home screen becomes an abomination.
We’re here to help. After doing these Android widget roundups for a couple years, our list for this year includes both new additions and old favorites, so your home screen can be as useful–and as attractive–as possible. Here are 14 of the best Android widgets to have on your phone in 2014:
SHARE
1Weather
OneLouder Apps
1Weather includes your choice of six home screen widgets, the best of which is the “1Weather Tabbed” option pictured here. With this widget, you can get all the essential info of your local forecast, and switch between extended, detailed and hourly views. The appearance is also customizable, letting you choose from light, dark or “live weather” backgrounds. The app is free, but you can upgrade to an ad-free version for $1.99.
[ Get 1Weather from Google Play]
SHARE
BaconReader for Reddit
OneLouder Apps
That funny cat picture your aunt will share on Facebook next week? You can probably find it right now by scrolling through BaconReader’s slick Reddit client. The “BaconReader Scroll” widget includes light and dark themes, and lets you create separate widgets for subsections if you like. And it’s resizeable, so you can dedicate as little or as much of your home screen as you want to the so-called “front page of the Internet.” The app is free, with a $1.99 upgrade to remove the ads.
[Get BaconReader from Google Play]
SHARE
Directions
Google
Using the Directions widget for Google Maps, one tap can get you instant directions to your usual haunts. Just drag the “Directions” widget onto your home screen, enter the address and a nickname for the location, and specify whether you want driving, walking, biking or public transit directions. This widget is part of Google Maps, which is probably pre-loaded on your phone, but here’s the Google Play Store listingjust in case.
SHARE
Google Keep
Google
We’ve sung the praises of Google Keep before. It’s not a comprehensive note-taking app, but rather a fast way to jot down thoughts, lists, images and audio. Google Keep is even faster when you install the widget on your home screen, as it includes shortcuts to your latest notes and buttons for creating new ones. The app is free, and you can also access your notes from any web browser.
[ Get Google Keep from Google Play]
SHARE
Holo Bulb
GekkoSteam
This 1-by-1 widget serves just one purpose: Tap it, and it’ll turn on your phone’s camera flash. A handy prompt then appears at center-screen so you can turn it off again. It’s the only Android flashlight functionality you need, and it’s free.
[ Get Holo Bulb from Google Play]
SHARE
Contact
Google
This little widget is great for keeping a close friend or loved one within easy reach. When you drop the widget onto your home screen, you then choose the contact you want it to represent. This widget is available in some form on most Android devices, but its name and appearance may vary depending on the phone maker. (HTC, for instance, calls it the “Person” widget, and gives you several options for what happens when you press the button.)
SHARE
CBS Sports
CBS
We’ve had other sports widgets on this list before, but CBS Sports ultimately proved triumphant with its clean design and abundance of options. You can choose from either a 4-by-1 ticker or a 4-by-2 scrolling widget, and each one can display your favorite teams, leagues or live events. There’s also a third widget just for news. And while other widgets pointlessly display game times for days into the future, CBS Sports limits itself to just the current day, so you don’t get lost. It seems like an actual sports fan designed this.
[ Get CBS Sports from Google Play]