iPadOS 15 brings a plethora of exciting new features such as improved multitasking controls, an app library, and finally, the ability to add widgets on the home screen to the table. The ability to add widgets on the home screen was first introduced with iOS 14 last year, and it is now also available on the iPad. So if you are someone using the iPadOS 15 developer or public beta, you must be itching to learn all the ways you can add and use widgets on your iPad. Well, keep reading because we have created an in-depth guide to teach you how to use widgets in iPadOS 15.
This guide not only covers how to add widgets on the home screen of your iPad but goes in-depth about the new Smart Stack widgets, what they are, and how you can play about with them. Use the table below to jump to a particular feature.
- New Widgets Introduced in iPadOS 15
- How to Add Widgets to the Home Screen on iPad
- How to Customize or Edit Widgets on iPad
- How to Add Widgets in Today View on iPad
- How to Remove a Widget on iPad
- What is a Smart Stack of Widgets in iPadOS 15?
- How to Create Smart Stack Widgets in iPadOS 15
- Method 1: Use Pre-Built Smart Stack
- Method 2: Make Your Own Smart Stack Widget
- How to Edit Smart Stack Widgets in iPadOS 15
New Widgets Introduced in iPadOS 15
Besides the existing widgets that you can now add to the iPad home screen, iPadOS 15 brings some new widgets in tow. Apple now lets you add new larger widgets on the home screen, which support new features as well. Some of the new widgets in iPadOS 15 are:
Game Center Widgets
The newly added Game Center widgets track and display your recently played games across devices. Moreover, “The Friends Are Playing” widget will show games your friends are currently playing to broaden your game discovery.
App Store Widget
The App Store widget shows all the newly updated stories and collections of apps you can download to better your iPadOS 15 experience. This data is pulled in from the App Store’s Today tab and is refreshed regularly.
Contacts Tab
To help users access contacts with ease, iPadOS 15 has introduced a new Contacts widget which on tapping opens up a separate menu. It includes all of the contact’s details, along with any media you have shared with them. Pretty useful for quickly sending messages, isn’t it?
Mail Widget
The new Mail widget in iPadOS 15 displays the most recent emails from mailboxes you can selectively choose while adding the widget to the home screen. The Mail widget is another useful widget that helps users stay updated with work mails, essential updates, and more.
Adding widgets to the iPad’s home screen in iPadOS 15 is easy enough. Follow the steps below to learn how it works:
- Now, tap the Plus sign at the top left corner of the screen to open the widgets panel.
Many of the widgets on your iPad can easily be customized, depending on what options they have. The level of editing will differ from widget to widget. To edit a widget, follow the steps below:
- Then, tap and hold your finger over a widget, and a context menu will open up.
How to Add Widgets in Today View on iPad
- You will see a “Plus” button and a “Customise” button on the next screen.
Deleting widgets to make room for more is super easy as well. Follow the steps below to remove any widget from your iPad’s home screen.
Smart Stack is a new addition to iPadOS 15. Simply put, a Smart Stack is a collection of widgets that display information based on several factors. That includes the time of the day, your location, and what activity you are doing right now. Smart Stacks support two nifty features – Smart Rotate and Widget Suggestions.
- Smart Rotate: Smart Rotate rotates between the various widgets in a Smart Stack automatically based on the above factors. You can turn on/ off this feature based on your preferences.
A Smart Stack can either be pre-built with widgets from apps you use the most or combine several widgets yourself to create one. We detail both the ways below.
There are two ways you can follow to create a Smart Stack. Use whatever method is comfortable to you:
This method involves adding a pre-built Smart Stack from the widgets panel to your home screen. Follow the steps below to learn how to use a Smart Stack widget on iPad:
- Now, tap the Plus button at the top left corner of the screen.
And that’s pretty much it. You can see the other widgets by swiping up and down on a Smart Stack.
If you don’t want to add the suggested Smart Stack and create your own, follow the steps below to do so:
- You can continue to add other widgets by dragging them over the existing stack to create a full Smart Stack.
You can change the order of widgets that appear in a Smart Stack. You can also add or remove any widget from the stack, depending on your needs. We will show you how to easily edit a Smart Stack, so follow the steps below:
