A wild new means to make use of Android widgets
Warning: You’ve by no means seen Android widgets like this — and when you do, you may by no means take into consideration ’em the identical once more.
Google/JR Raphael, IDG
When we Androidians take into consideration widgets, we have a tendency to consider our humble house screens.
Makes sense, proper? That’s the place widgets have historically existed right here within the land o’ Android (with one short-lived exception, anyway, however Google’s satisfied we have forgotten about that).
Hold the cellphone, although — ‘trigger it turns on the market’s a complete different technique to work together with widgets in your favourite Googley gadget. Few mere mortals are conscious, however sooner or later, Google quietly began providing the flexibility to name up Android widgets on demand, as you want ’em, by way of a easy spoken command.
That means you possibly can see an Android widget precisely while you need and from wherever in your system — not simply on your private home display. And you do not have to maintain it seen and taking over area on a regular basis.
Intriguing, no? I actually thought so. Let me clarify somewhat extra.
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Android widgets all over the place
First issues first, up to now, I’ve solely managed to get this bit o’ hidden magic engaged on a Google Pixel cellphone. But when you’ve bought one thing aside from a Pixel, do not despair — ‘trigger I’ve bought a artful workaround that can provide you the same type of widget-summoning superpower. (Keep studying.)
The principal wizardry in query, although, is related to Google Assistant on Android. As a member of our pretty Android Intelligence Platinum Community just lately found, you possibly can merely summon Assistant — utilizing the “Hey Google” launch phrase or any of the on-screen Assistant icons or shortcuts — after which ask Assistant to point out you a selected widget.
Within a couple of second, bam: Assistant will ship, regardless of the place you might be in your cellphone or what you are within the midst of doing.
JR
Mind. Blown.
For some context right here, Google technically added within the potential for apps to combine their widgets into Assistant on Android in 2021. Any app — Google-made or in any other case — can do it. But I actually by no means realized any apps had truly applied the characteristic nor had I ever observed it up and operating in actuality till now.
At the second, maybe not surprisingly, the system appears to work largely with widgets from Google-made Android apps — together with Keep, Calendar, Chrome, Clock, Maps, Google News, and YouTube Music. You may even do it with the widget from the eponymous Google app, although that is only a easy search field, so there is not a lot level.
JR
Weirdly, it does not work with all Google Android apps. If you strive the trick with Drive, Gmail, or Photos, as an illustration, you may get a message telling you Assistant cannot render these widgets and that you will have so as to add them onto your private home display if you wish to use ’em.
But with widgets the place it really works, it is a great new technique to work together with an app’s data and features from wherever inside Android — and with out having to maintain its widget entrance and heart and in your face 24/7.
And for the remainder of your apps — or when you’re utilizing a non-Pixel cellphone the place the characteristic could not work in any respect — nicely, you’ve got bought one other attention-grabbing choice.
Android widget wonders for everybody
All proper — able to broaden your Android widget horizons? You’ve bought a number of worthwhile widget-summoning choices to chew over.
First, you should use a customized Android launcher that brings native one-touch widget entry proper into your private home display atmosphere. Both Niagara Launcher, my private launcher of alternative in the meanwhile (and what’s proven within the screenshot under), and Action Launcher supply such a chance.
JR
Next, no matter what kind of house display setup you are utilizing, a intelligent little app known as Popup Widget will allow you to create your personal customized widget-summoning shortcuts. Just plop ’em wherever on your private home display, and so they’ll pull up no matter widget you need every time they’re tapped.
JR
You may even make a single shortcut that opens two widgets collectively — like your inbox and calendar, as an illustration — for a super-convenient technique to see and work together with complementary units of information on the similar time.
JR
And final however not least, for the true only-on-Android power-user twist, an superior app known as Edge Gestures will allow you to take those self same pop-up widget shortcuts and make ’em accessible from wherever in your system — by way of any gesture you want.
So, as an illustration, you can set it as much as present your Gmail widget everytime you swipe downward on the left aspect of your display or to point out your calendar agenda widget everytime you swipe down on the correct edge.
JR
Not dangerous, proper?
Between these handbook Android widget enlargement choices and our newly found Assistant widget-summoning sorcery, you’ve got bought a complete new world of cell productiveness and multitasking potential at your fingertips.
And you’d higher imagine you would not have the ability to do any of these items on that different cell platform.
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