Do you ever wish for widgets?

**SimonSage** · 03-29-2012, 02:09 PM

I've spent a fair amount of time on Android devices, and the one thing that I continually miss are home screen widgets. The notification center is nice and all, but I really wish iOS implemented a more immediate way of getting information at a glance. The icon grid is certainly simple and streamlined as is, and who knows how continually-updating widgets would effect battery life, but I would like to have the option, at least. Besides, this would open up a whole new content avenue for developers, especially if they've already put in the legwork for the Android versions of their apps.

**BLiNK** · 03-29-2012, 02:21 PM

no ..............

**cardfan** · 03-29-2012, 03:09 PM

Nope. You really have to ask who knows how continually updating widgets would affect battery life? How about more things to bog down the ram & processor with?

To me this is about as useful as wanting a half inch larger screen with less pixels.

**AJ_Watson** · 03-29-2012, 03:36 PM

Yes. Emensely.

**itsalexaye** · 03-29-2012, 03:41 PM

I'd like the option to have them in the notification center, but on the homepages I don't want any widgets there.

**Bazza1** · 03-29-2012, 03:57 PM

Kinda. I'd still like a user-defined Today Screen option when the screen is locked - Notifications just doesn't cut it. Not brain surgery - Palm had it. BlackBerry has the option.

**jkeitz** · 03-29-2012, 05:03 PM

Only on those days when I think my battery is just draining way too slowly and I really need some way to suck the life out of my battery faster.

**ghostface147** · 03-29-2012, 06:26 PM

Nope. Not at all. I turn them off on our on-call phone, a Nexus S 4G.

**timmyb457** · 03-29-2012, 06:30 PM

Sometimes I do, but then I remember my phone always being dead from then and change my mind.

**impaler** · 03-29-2012, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by SimonSage

I've spent a fair amount of time on Android devices, and the one thing that I continually miss are home screen widgets. The notification center is nice and all, but I really wish iOS implemented a more immediate way of getting information at a glance. The icon grid is certainly simple and streamlined as is, and who knows how continually-updating widgets would effect battery life, but I would like to have the option, at least. Besides, this would open up a whole new content avenue for developers, especially if they've already put in the legwork for the Android versions of their apps.

I've used many Android devices. I don't miss them. They're battery hogs.

**redbeard** · 03-29-2012, 08:30 PM

Yes, and widgets don't hurt battery life, that's a myth.

And people need to stop obsessing over battery life, if all you care about is having a phone that you only have to charge once a week you can buy a jitterbug, I'm always near a wall or a car charger, even when I'm not my 1 year, 8 month old iPhone 4 lasts all day all while running two homescreen widgets and being jailbroken.

It's about time Apple steps out of 2007.

**Irish Rose** · 03-30-2012, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by redbeard

Yes, and widgets don't hurt battery life, that's a myth.

And people need to stop obsessing over battery life, if all you care about is having a phone that you only have to charge once a week you can buy a jitterbug, I'm always near a wall or a car charger, even when I'm not my 1 year, 8 month old iPhone 4 lasts all day all while running two homescreen widgets and being jailbroken.

It's about time Apple steps out of 2007.

I couldn't agree with you more. Besides, widgets as far as I remember, were an option on the Androids, therefore a person has a " choice" as to whether or not they want to use them. If Apple is making a larger battery in the next iPhone, it should be able to accommodate widgets, IMO...

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk.

**itsalexaye** · 03-30-2012, 08:16 AM

I think we just need to have the choice to have widgets! then a lot of people will stop complaining.

**redbeard** · 03-30-2012, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by Irish Rose

I couldn't agree with you more. Besides, widgets as far as I remember, were an option on the Androids, therefore a person has a " choice" as to whether or not they want to use them. If Apple is making a larger battery in the next iPhone, it should be able to accommodate widgets, IMO...

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk.

Exactly, I think people forget that you can choose to turn off just about every feature the iPhone has, you can turn off MMS, Facetime, Push notifications, etc. I don't see why it wouldn't be any different with widgets if people didn't want to use them. Best of both worlds, everybody is happy!

**CG68** · 03-31-2012, 01:26 AM

The only widgets I probably miss from my Droid X days was the calendar widget and social widget .I had the calendar set up to show the month and agenda view on one screen and the social widget take up another screen with FB and Twitter integrated.

**zurch** · 03-31-2012, 01:43 AM

Widgets would be cool to have. A choice to have them would be best I think.

**jargonbust** · 03-31-2012, 04:50 PM

no i never wish for widgets
they eat my phone's battery to sleep
i want to get rid of them always
i keep them as low as possible

**impaler** · 04-02-2012, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by redbeard

Yes, and widgets don't hurt battery life, that's a myth

Based on what empirical evidence? If that's the case, I am confused by the sheer volume of articles out there that recommend disabling widgets to save battery life. One of them illustrates the sheer differences between the concept of Android and iOS, as one article has 15 steps to take to save battery. Apple's view has consistently been that we shouldn't have to take 15 steps. For instance/starters:

I do agree, however, that the option to have some widgets would be cool, so long as I can turn them off to save battery. I guess Apple's version of widgets are the two we get with iOS 5 (stocks and weather, and those can be disabled).

The issue at hand, to me, is not whether widgets drain the battery - they just do, because they're running processes, fetching data over the network, and other functions, so by design, they will eat up battery. The issue is whether they belong on iOS.

**Irish Rose** · 04-02-2012, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by impaler

I do agree, however, that the option to have some widgets would be cool, so long as I can turn them off to save battery. I guess Apple's version of widgets are the two we get with iOS 5 (stocks and weather, and those can be disabled).

The issue at hand, to me, is not whether widgets drain the battery - they just do, because they're running processes, fetching data over the network, and other functions, so by design, they will eat up battery. The issue is whether they belong on iOS.

There are a lot of other battery draining features on the iPhone as well, such as; Push data services, WiFi, 3G, Location services, Bluetooth, ect.... Even though these features are said to drain the battery, people have a "choice" as to whether or not they want to use them. I believe widgets should be implemented on the next big iOS update along with a on/off toggle that gives customers the choice to use them or not. . If Apple left out everything that ever caused battery drain on their iOS devices we wouldn't have a lot of the nice features on our iPhones as we do now. As I said above, there are already rumors that the next iPhone is going to have a higher capacity battery, so is adding something like widgets really going to hurt anything at that point?

**impaler** · 04-02-2012, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Irish Rose

If Apple left out everything that ever caused battery drain on their iOS devices we wouldn't have a lot of the nice features on our iPhones as we do now. As I said above, there are already rumors that the next iPhone is going to have a higher capacity battery, so is adding something like widgets really going to hurt anything at that point?

Sounds like we're saying the same thing. I would love to see opportunities to have widgets, but only if I have the flexibility to turn them on and off; and not all in, all out scenario, but individually, as we do with notifications.

Rumors are just that - but if LTE is coming to the next iPhone (also only a rumor), then it's pretty clear they will need a larger battery...that's what they did with the new iPad. That also explains why Apple is pushing the nano-SIM card.

The point I was addressing above was separate from this discussion, which was the claim that widgets don't drain the battery. Anyone that doesn't believe that just has his/her head in the sand.

**redbeard** · 04-02-2012, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by impaler

Based on what empirical evidence? If that's the case, I am confused by the sheer volume of articles out there that recommend disabling widgets to save battery life. One of them illustrates the sheer differences between the concept of Android and iOS, as one article has 15 steps to take to save battery. Apple's view has consistently been that we shouldn't have to take 15 steps. For instance/starters:

I do agree, however, that the option to have some widgets would be cool, so long as I can turn them off to save battery. I guess Apple's version of widgets are the two we get with iOS 5 (stocks and weather, and those can be disabled).

The issue at hand, to me, is not whether widgets drain the battery - they just do, because they're running processes, fetching data over the network, and other functions, so by design, they will eat up battery. The issue is whether they belong on iOS.

They aren't yet available on iOS so how do you know? Android itself is supposedly a battery hog, why does anyone think Apple would make widgets that are battery hogs as well? And like Irish Rose said, everything drains the battery in one way or another, if all we cared about was battery life, what's the point of owning a smartphone?

I am running two widgets on my jailbroken phone and I haven't noticed any hit on the battery, I have them set to retrieve info every 15 minutes, and it only does so when I'm actually using the phone, it's such a tiny bit of info I don't see how it could even make a difference. Also these are widgets quickly written by some young hacker, I'm sure Apple could even do better, and of course they would be optional just like everything else Apple introduces as I pointed out above.

Bring on the widgets and other new features, I want my smartphone to continually get smarter, not dumber so that a few obsessive people only have to charge their phones once a week.

**Adawg1203** · 04-03-2012, 04:53 PM

Widgets would be a welcome feature. I love them on android based devices. The Additional strain on battery wouldn't even be noticeable enough for concern. Besides, the user sets up any widgets they would want on a home screen. The question is, does Apple want give its users that customizing ability???

**EmceeGeek** · 04-09-2012, 11:37 PM

Sure. I'd like a photo album on a screen but that's about it. I'm sure I can do that now being jailbroken but to do it without a jb would be cool.

Sent from my iPhone 4S or iPad 4G using Tapatalk

**coggster** · 04-14-2012, 03:08 AM

I have had Android for a while and iOS. About the only widget I use with any regularity is the calendar one. Handy to have an at a glance without having to do anything but I am guessing that is possible if JB. I really should research more..
My iPhone already outlasts my Android battery by a considerable margin and there is always, and I mean always, an iPhone charger within like 20ft - much like the rat saying.

**dev84** · 04-14-2012, 03:23 AM

NO!!!

I would be open to them on Notification center but no where near my home screen. Personally I rather have launchpad (app draw) so I could have an empty home screen and scrollable dock that can hold maybe 10 Apps at the most. I seriously never go to an app icon, I launch nearly every app from spotlight most of the time.

Also with local and server notifications I pretty much get tons of at glance info and not sure what info you would need widgets for.

My Banks sends notification of every transaction, I can scroll through them in notification center and if I want more details tap go to the app from N.C. ESPN updates me on the scores, PayPal tells me who sent me in N.C. and how much. Basically N.C. is one big at glance info widget.